Nightmare on the Sixth Floor
The hall was long and dark; a place that Darien knew he should recognize, but just couldn't quite place in his mind. It was cold, and the air crackled like electricity against his skin. His heart was pounding in his chest and all of the hair on the back of his neck was standing on edge.
The floating forms were everywhere, making their presence known through the bright lights refracted in Darien's quicksilver vision. The spirits danced along the hallway, flying rapidly through the air. Occasionally, they would fly right at Darien, causing him to stumble back in terror.
Gradually, the forms started to become clearer, turning into distinguishable shapes. Darien thought he could make out the faces of a man and a woman, but he couldn't be sure.
He stood paralyzed in his position, his gaze stuck on the spirits flying around him. Suddenly, the forms stopped rapidly in the air and seemed to stare at him. He could feel their eyes piecing through him, turning the pit of his stomach into a cold lump of dread. This went on for several minutes and then without warning, the apparitions all rapidly dove towards Darien, their icy forms ready to tear him apart.
He could hear a weird kind of pounding as the spirits started to dive bomb him. As the first apparition tore through his body, he felt intense pain and screamed.
"Fawkes!"
How did they know his name?
"Fawkes, wake up buddy."
Hobbes?
Darien opened his eyes with caution and for a terrifying moment didn't know where he was. Then he recognized the rough carpet on the floor and the bedspread hanging over him. He realized that it had all been a nightmare and that he must have fallen off the bed. He tilted his head up and saw Bobby peering down at him with a look of concern on his face.
"You okay, partner?" Bobby asked as he extended his hand to help Darien off the floor.
Darien let Bobby pull him up and then sat down heavily on the bed. He wiped at his sleep-filled eyes and looked at his clock, noting it was 7 a.m. It was at that moment that he remembered it was a Saturday. He gave Bobby a look of confusion.
"Hobbes, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked in a sleepy voice.
Bobby sat down on the bed next to Darien, still looking worried. "Fatman has a special project for us today," said Bobby. " I pounded on your door to wake your lazy ass up, and then I heard you screaming. Thought you were getting killed or something." "So I busted in here and found you on the floor. What's going on Fawkes, you having nightmares about Arnaud De Freak again or what?"
Darien yawned and shook his head. "Naw. It was some weird one that I've never had before. Ghosts or some freakin thing, I don't know. I'm fine," he said reassuringly.
He looked over at Bobby and realized for the first time that he was dressed in a tuxedo. "Ah buddy, what the hell are you wearing?" he asked with confusion.
Bobby looked down proudly at his tux. "Just trying to get into the Halloween spirit," he said as he pulled a gun out of his holster. Darien realized that it wasn't Bobby's normal weapon. This one was long and black, with a silencer attached to the end.
Darien couldn't hold back his smile. "Okay, James Bond. I'm going to go get dressed," he said as he stood up from his bed.
"The name is Hobbes, Bobby Hobbes," said Bobby with sophistication.
Darien shook his head and walked towards his bathroom. "Time for the meds, Hobbesy."
"Fawkes, Fawkes, I think you should dress up too!" said Bobby with enthusiasm, ignoring Darien's comment.
Darien stepped into the bathroom and turned around. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna pass," he said, closing the door behind him.
"Ah come on Fawkesy, I'm sure we can find something in your wardrobe for you to play dress up with," yelled Bobby. "God knows most days you look like you're ready for Halloween," he added under his breath.
Darien popped his head out the door. "Can you stop please, you're scaring me," he said sarcastically.
"Whatever, D. Just trying to get you into the holiday spirit of ghosts and goblins. But if you want to live like some 70 year old man and not have any fun, then be my guest, my friend," said Bobby.
Darien smirked at Bobby. "Thanks," said Darien with mock sincerity as he shut the bathroom door again.
*************************
A half-hour later, the duo was making their way down the hallway to the Official's office.
Bobby took a piece of candy out of his pocket and tossed it at Darien.
Darien caught the candy and smiled. "Wow, you really went all out! Candy and everything," he said as he popped the piece of candy into his mouth.
"Bobby Hobbes knows how to celebrate holidays right, my friend," replied Bobby.
"Indeed," said Darien as he swallowed the candy. "So what's so special about this assignment that the fatman had to drag our asses out of bed on a Saturday and on a national holiday, I might mention?" asked Darien curiously.
"Fall cleaning," said Bobby.
"Fall cleaning? You mean spring cleaning?" asked Darien.
"No, I mean fall cleaning. Spring cleaning takes place in the spring, Fawkes and the last time I looked, the calendar read October. So it's fall cleaning," said Bobby as opened the door to the Official's office. Darien followed behind him.
The Official looked up from his desk. "Hello boys, Happy Halloween," he said with a smile.
"Fall cleaning?" asked Darien with disbelief. "You drag us all the way here so we can help you clean up this freakin place?" he said with irritation.
"Well the job needs to be done and the Agency doesn't have any major cases pending, so I figured this would be the perfect time to do a little tidying up," said the Official.
Darien sulked and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the Official's office. "Great," he said sarcastically.
"What do you need us to clean up, sir?" asked Bobby as he joined Darien in the chairs.
"Sixth floor. There's a number of abandoned labs up there along with a ... padded room," said the Official, eyeing Darien with slight sympathy.
"Nice," said Darien softly.
Bobby looked towards the Official nervously. "Sixth floor, chief?" he said with a trace amount of fear on his voice.
"That's affirmative. We need the space and that floor is not currently in use," said the Official.
Darien looked over at Bobby. "What's wrong with the sixth floor, Hobbesy?" he asked.
Bobby nonchalantly shrugged. "Oh nothing, it's only haunted," he said.
Darien raised his eyebrows. "Haunted?"
Bobby leaned towards Darien. "They used to use the sixth floor back in the Cold War days. Did some defense experiments on a few eager government volunteers," he said. "A couple of em died up there, and they've been ticked off ever since."
"Ah, a couple of pissed off government experiments. I can relate," said Darien.
"Those ghost stories are exactly that, stories. Just another old Agency myth," said the Official.
"Ah, the ole Agency myth. Funny, I don't see you going up their, sir," said Darien.
The Official gave Darien an angered glare. "Manual labor is not in my contract."
"Well it's not in mine either. Couldn't you just hire out some maid service or something? I mean you're wasting your two most valuable agents here," said Darien as he looked at Bobby for support. Bobby nodded his head in agreement.
The Official got out of his chair and walked to Darien and Bobby. "Nonsense. This assignment will ultimately result in more space and possibly more equipment for the I-man project and that is my top priority in this Agency," said the Official as he put his hands on Darien and Bobby's shoulder.
Darien laughed with sarcasm. A sudden knock on the door caused Darien and Bobby to jump.
Eberts came through
the door, carrying several boxes filled with gloves, cleaning supplies and dust clothes. "The supplies you requested, sir," said Eberts as he set the stuff on the floor.
"Good job, Eberts," said the Official.
Eberts smiled. "Thank you, sir."
"Thank you, sir," mocked Bobby.
Eberts shoved a box towards Bobby. "These supplies are for you, Robert," said Eberts with a smirk.
Bobby glared at Eberts. "Why I ought to pound those supplies right up your ..."
"This is so unfair, sir," interrupted Claire as she entered the office carrying boxes. Alex followed behind her, carrying more boxes.
Darien noticed Claire's tight black pants, orange turtleneck and pumpkin earrings. "Well it looks like Hobbesy isn't the only one with holiday spirit," he said teasingly.
Claire looked at him and scoffed. She set the boxes down on the ground.
Alex set down her boxes as well. "Sir, if you don't mind, I'll be in my office. I have some paperwork to finish up," said Alex, eyeing the door.
"Nice try, Monroe. You're a part of this Agency too and you will help with fall cleaning," said the Official smugly.
"Oh goodie," replied Alex dryly.
The Official cleared his throat. "Now I want you to sort through all the stuff up there. Anything you find that could be useful, put it in a box and take it down to the Keep. The rest of the stuff you can throw down the garbage shoot," said the Official. He picked up two of the boxes from the floor and handed one to Darien and one to Bobby. "Good luck, kiddies," he said with a smile.
Darien rolled his eyes and Bobby sighed. They both stood up from their chairs and picked up some of the supplies.
Claire and Alex picked up the rest of the supplies and headed towards the door.
"After you, ladies," said Bobby as he let Alex and Claire step through the door in front of him and Darien.
Bobby and Darien followed out, both walking with a general lack of enthusiasm. "Why doesn't Eberts have to do any of this grunt work?" said Bobby as the group walked towards the elevator.
The rest of the foursome ignored Bobby's comment and stepped in front of the elevator. Darien set down his box and pushed the up button. He looked towards Alex and Claire. "So you guys heard? The sixth floor is haunted. Oooohhhhhhhhh," said Darien putting his hands out in front of him in imitation of a zombie.
Alex rolled her eyes. "Oh please," she said.
Claire laughed. "You guys don't really believe that do you? I mean there is absolutely no scientific proof to support the existence of the supernatural."
"Yeah, whatever Scully. I know there's ghosts up there cause I've seen them," said Bobby matter of factly.
Darien looked at him with doubt. "You've seen them?" he said with disbelief.
"Well ... I haven't seen them. But I've heard them! I hear bumps in my office all the time," he said seriously.
"Ah Hobbes, that was me banging my head against the wall in frustration," said Darien as the elevator opened and the group stepped in. He pushed the sixth floor button.
"Yeah, yeah, make fun all you want, but I'm telling you, there's something hinky about the sixth floor," said Bobby.
Darien shook his head and looked at his feet. A silence fell over the group for a few seconds. Then they heard a serious of large thumps as they got closer to the sixth floor.
Darien looked around the elevator curiously. "Ghosts, huh?"
"You bet your see through ass, my friend," said Bobby.
As the elevator got to the sixth floor, they heard another large thump, this one so loud it vibrated the walls of the elevator. Claire jumped slightly, falling back against Darien. "Easy Keep, these elevators are just old, that's all," he said.
The elevator doors opened and the foursome was immediately greeted with the smell of must and mildew. They all looked at one another, exchanging glances of apprehension. None of them made a move to get off the elevator.
Darien took a deep breath. "This is ridiculous. There is absolutely nothing scary on this floor," he said as he stepped out of the elevator. He unknowingly stepped right into a huge spider web.
"Ahhhh," he screamed as a few spiders rapidly moved through the web due to the disturbance. One of them crawled onto his hand, causing Darien's breath to hitch in his throat. He stared in horror at the spider, desperately fighting the urge to quicksilver. "Help," he whispered in terror back to his compatriots in the elevator.
Claire set down her boxes and stepped out to assist Darien. She grabbed his hand and quickly swiped the spider onto the floor.
Darien breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh god, thanks Keep," he said with gratitude.
"You're welcome," she said with a smile.
Bobby and Alex both stepped out of the elevator. Bobby took one of the boxes he was holding and smashed it against the web, causing it to break apart and fall on the floor. The disturbed spiders quickly scattered into the cracks of the floor and the wall.
Alex looked at Darien with amusement. "The big strong I-man afraid of an itsy bitsy spider?" she teased.
Darien's face reddened. "Not afraid, more like terrified," he answered quickly, still a little shaky from his encounter.
Alex nodded, feeling slightly bad for rubbing in something that was obviously a source of real horror for Darien. "Yeah, well don't worry, I have a fear of the color pink and all Jim Carrey movies," she said to ease the tension.
"Jim Carrey, huh?" Darien asked with amusement.
Alex nodded. "I get hives just thinking about Ace Venture: Pet Detective," she said.
"Well, I can't argue with you there," he replied.
Darien glanced down the long hallway for the first time and took in their surroundings. The hallway was fairly dark, the only light coming from a small window at the very end of the hall. Dust and dirt lined the walls, and papers lay scattered across the floor. He also noticed how cold the air seemed, even though the air conditioning wasn't running. He shivered slightly and ran his hands over his arms.
"Charming," said Bobby as he also took in the scene.
Claire walked to the elevator and picked up the box she had set down. "Okay kids, lets get to work. The sooner this is done, the sooner I can go home and get ready for the trick or treaters," she said as she stepped between Darien and Bobby.
Alex raised her eyebrows. "Trick or treaters?" she asked.
Claire looked at her innocently. "What?" she asked.
Alex shook her head. "Never mind," she said.
The foursome slowly walked down the hall, stopping in front of the first room on the right side, marked lab 601. Darien set down his box and tried the doorknob. It made a metallic squeal, but wouldn't budge. He pushed the door in with his hand, but could not seem to open it.
Bobby stepped beside Darien. "This is a job for trained professional, Fawkes," said Bobby. He brought his leg up and placed a hard kick against the door, knocking it open instantly.
He looked back at the group with a smug look on his face.
"Well done, Bobby," said Claire, with a smile.
Bobby bowed slightly. "Thank you, my darling. I might just have to make you a Hobbes girl."
"Hobbes girl?" asked Darien.
Bobby nodded. "Yeah, you know, like Bond girl, except she's a Hobbes girl," said Bobby.
Alex scoffed. She stepped in between Bobby and Darien and walked through the door.
"You play you're cards right, Monroe and I might make you one too," he said as he followed her in.
"Ooooh, you promise," she said sarcastically.
Darien looked at Claire and rolled his eyes. She smiled in response and the pair joined Bobby and Alex in the lab.
Lab 601 was dim and very dank. It smelled of old antiseptic and mildew. One wall held a shelf filled with ancient syringes filled with various colored substances. Another wall held a clear refrigerator filled with vials of more colored substances. Next to the refrigerator were several filing cabinets overflowing with papers and file folders. In the center of the room, there was a chair similar to the counteragent chair, only this one was puke green, not puke beige.
Darien stepped towards one of the shelves, noticing a large yellow object. He curiously picked up the object and realized it was a rubber chicken. He held it up in the air and smiled. "Well I'm guessing one of the lab techs had a sense of humor. All we need now is a whoopie cushion and a dribble glass, and the party can start," he said.
Claire ignored the comment and walked to the refrigerator, opening it. She was greeted with the smell of rotten medicine. "Well I think it's safe to say all the supplies in here can be thrown away," she said as she turned back to the group.
She eyed the chair in the center of the room. "That chair might be good for the Keep. Wouldn't hurt to have an extra one lying around," she said.
"What a pleasant thought," said Darien as he and Bobby walked to the filing cabinets. Darien opened one of the overflowing cabinets and all of the contents fell on the floor.
"Real smooth, there, Fawkes," said Bobby.
Darien gave Bobby a dirty look and then sat down on the floor to examine the documents. He picked up a file folder, reading the name of the tab as Rose Hargrove. "Hmm, Hargrove, CIA, 30 years old, single," he read aloud to no one in particular. He flipped to the next page and saw that everything had been marked out with a black pen. "Hey why is this stuff all blacked out?" he asked.
Bobby grabbed the folder out of Darien's hand. "Because it's classified, my friend," he said.
"Yeah, but aren't we going to throw all this crap out anyway?" he asked.
"Back to the ole need to know. If we needed to know ..."
"Yeah, yeah we'd know, we'd know," said Darien with irritation. He looked towards Alex. "Throw me a trash bag, Monroe," he said.
Alex picked one up and threw it at him. Darien started stuffing papers and files into the trash bags. Bobby and Alex joined him. Claire busied herself with getting rid of the waste in the refrigerator.
An hour and five trash bags later, Darien was sitting on the floor in complete and utter boredom. "I'm officially in hell," he said as he threw another file into a trash bag. He looked over at Claire, who had moved on to cleaning shelves. She nodded in agreement.
Alex threw a few full trash bags at him. "If you're so bored, then why don't you go throw these away," she said.
Darien sighed. "Great, I get to be the garbage man," he said as he stood and picked up the trash bags. He started walking out the door.
"Hey Fawkes, if you see any ghosts, just haul ass back here. I got your back," he said.
"That's comforting," said Darien dryly.
"Bobby Hobbes doesn't bail on his partner," he said with sincerity.
Darien smiled slightly. "Thanks, buddy," he said as he walked out the door.
He stepped into the hallway and noticed that there was not as much light coming from the window as there had been before. He walked down the hall and looked out the tiny window, seeing heavy clouds building up outside.
"Fawkes."
He turned around, curiously "Yeah?" he said. No one was there. He shook his head slightly. Must be hearing things, he thought. He walked back up the hall and found the door to the trash shoot. He tried the knob and the door swung open. Pitch-blackness greeted him. He felt along the wall for a switch. "Come on, there's got to be a freakin switch," he said to himself. He continued to feel along the wall and stopped short when he felt something grasp his hand.
"Hobbes, this isn't funny," he said out loud. There was no response. Darien's heart started beating rapidly in his ears. He remembered his dream from the night before and decided to quicksilver his eyes. For a split second, he could make out some eerie blue form floating next to him and just as quickly it disappeared.
He took a deep breath and felt around for the handle for the shoot, giving up on finding a light switch. He found the handle after a few seconds and opened it, throwing the trash bags down the shoot. He could here the large bags bouncing threw the slide down to the dumpster on the street. Once he was finished, he closed the shoot door. He turned around and was about ready to walk out the door when it slammed shut. In a slight panic, he ran to the door, finding the knob and turning it forcefully. He couldn't open it.
He quicksilvered his eyes again out of paranoia and glanced around the dark room. He didn't see anything. With slight relief, he let the quicksilver flake off, hearing it clatter on the floor. He pounded on the door. "Hobbes," he yelled. "Come on guys, I'm locked in," he yelled again.
He heard a hissing sound from behind him. He turned around nervously, quicksilvering his eyes again. Still nothing. Okay, calm down, Darien, he thought as he dropped the quicksilver. He pounded on the door once again. "Claire, Alex, let me out!" he yelled.
"Darien," he heard something faintly whisper. He didn't want to turn around and see something or someone standing there. He started bashing against the door with his shoulder, trying desperately to open it. The door still wouldn't budge.
"Join us, Darien," he heard from behind him. He started slamming even harder into the door, the fear helping him to ignore the pain that was slowly starting to flare from his shoulder. He felt hands grabbing at his waist. "Ahhhh," he screamed. He stepped back, ignoring whatever might be behind him, and flailed himself against the door as hard as he could. The door popped open and the force of the momentum sent Darien roughly to the floor.
He laid on the floor for a few seconds, breathing rapidly, his heart still pounding. He saw Bobby, Alex and Claire running towards him. He moved to a sitting position, holding his now aching arm and shoulder.
"Fawkes, what the hell happened?" asked Bobby as he kneeled next to his partner, noticing Darien's pale face.
Darien pointed towards the garbage shoot, still out of breath from his ordeal. Alex pulled out her gun and stepped into the room. She checked it out thoroughly and walked back into the hall. "Clean," she said.
Bobby stood up from his position next to Darien. Claire took his place. "Are you all right?" she asked, as she noticed him cradling his arm. "Did you hurt yourself?"
Darien took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I... I don't think so. I got stuck and had to bash through the door to get out," he said. "It's nothing guys," he added, even though his face was still deathly pale.
"You saw a ghost, didn't you?" asked Bobby matter of factly.
"What are you talking about, Hobbes" said Darien, trying for his usual sarcasm, but not quite getting there.
"Ghost trapped you in there, right" he said.
Darien shook his head. "No, it's nothing, I'm fine, nothing happened," he said quickly. "Can we drop this?" he asked with a hint of desperation in his tone.
Claire nodded, helping him off the floor. "Let's go down to the Keep so I can check out your arm, okay?" she said, as he continued to hold his arm.
Darien swallowed and nodded. Bobby looked sharply at Darien, knowing that something was really wrong if Darien was willingly going to the Keep to get examined. "Sure you're all right, Fawkesy?" he asked with concern.
"Yeah," he said quickly.
Claire pulled Darien towards the elevator. "Come on," she urged gently.
"So you guys just gonna leave Monroe and I here to fend against Casper ourselves?" asked Bobby.
Alex rolled her eyes and pushed Bobby back towards the lab. "Let's go, Bobby," she said with irritation. Bobby took one last glance at Darien and then followed Alex back to the lab.
Claire guided Darien's toward the elevator and pushed the down button. Darien slouched, being unusually quiet. "You sure you're okay?" asked Claire with concern as the elevator door opened.
Darien gave her a smile. "Yeah, it's cool," he said as he walked through the door. Claire joined him and pushed the button for the Keep floor. The elevator doors closed and it slowly started its descent down to the Keep.
Darien took a deep breath, finally feeling a little calmer. It had all been in his head, probably leftover remnants from his nightmare, he concluded.
Suddenly, all the lights in the elevator began to flicker. "Darien," said Claire a little uneasily. The lights flickered another couple of seconds and then stopped working altogether, drenching them in complete darkness. "Darien, where are you?" Claire asked with fear, feeling slightly disoriented.
"Right here," he answered. Just as the words left his mouth, the elevator shuddered violently, causing Darien to lose his balance and fall heavily against the side of the elevator. "Ahhh," he screamed as his injured arm impacted against the hard siding.
"Darien!" yelled Claire in a panic. The elevator shuddered again, forcing both Darien and Claire against the siding. After one more shudder, the elevator came to a complete stop, leaving its two occupants sprawled across the floor.
Darien rolled himself onto his back and moaned as he touched his throbbing arm.
"Darien, where are you?" asked Claire as she recovered her wits and crawled along the floor, feeling for Darien. She felt his leg and pulled her body next to his, inadvertently knocking into his injured arm.
"Ahhh," he screamed.
"Sorry," said Claire with sympathy, not knowing exactly where he was hurt. "What happened, what hurts?" she asked with urgency.
Darien took a sharp breath. "Ow, my arm, I think it's broken," he whimpered through clenched teeth.
Claire groaned in frustration. "Damn it, I can't see anything," she said. "You wouldn't happen to have a flashlight or lighter with you, would you?" she asked, slightly unnerved.
Darien snorted. "I wish," he said. He noticed that Claire was breathing quickly, a little too quickly. "Keep, you okay?" he asked.
Claire took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "I don't know if this is a good time to mention it, but I have a small fear of dark, confined spaces," she said.
"It'll be okay. We'll get out of here in no time," said Darien reassuringly. He reached up with his good arm and felt around for the emergency phone. When he found it, he pulled it off the wall and put his ear to the receiver. "Damn," he said softly when he realized there was nothing on the other end but the sound of static.
"What?" asked Claire.
"Emergency phone is out. Why doesn't that surprise me?" he said, putting the phone back. "Ow," he moaned as a wave of pain flashed through his arm. "God, this hurts," he said weakly.
Claire put a comforting hand on his leg. "Easy, just try not to move it," she said gently.
"Yeah, okay," he said softly.
They both jumped when the elevator shifted slightly. "What the hell is going on?" asked Claire in an upset tone.
"Like I said before, these elevators are just old, that's all," said Darien, trying to comfort her.
His skin crawled a few seconds later when he could faintly make out someone whispering "Come with us."
He took a shaky breath. "Keep, did you hear that?" he asked with hesitation.
"Yeah, I heard it," she said. She crawled closer to Darien, wanting to feel human contact.
The elevator jostled again, causing Claire to scream and Darien to jerk his arm. "Owwwww," he whimpered. He started sucking in deep breaths, trying to desperately to calm himself. It only managed to ignite fire in his arm. He started feeling dizzy. "Claire...I...I think I'm gonna pass out," he whispered in a panic.
He immediately felt Claire's hands at the back of his neck and on his chest. "Calm down, you need to calm down," she said, terror in her tone.
Darien slowly fought his way out of the fog, not wanting to leave her alone in the elevator. After a few seconds, his head started to clear and the dizzy spell passed.
The elevator suddenly creaked and a loud hissing sound came from the top.
"Dddddaaaaaaaaaarrrrriiiiiieeeeeennnnnnnnnn, we need you," they heard screeched.
If the lights had been on in the elevator, Claire and Darien's faces would have both been white as sheets. Darien quicksilvered his eyes and saw lights of blue and pink floating around the elevator. Goosebumps immediately popped out of his skin, as he shed the quicksilver. He started breathing in short, shallow rasps. "Claire, something's in here," he said as he moved his hand towards her face. He found her eyes and then quicksilvered them for moment. After a few seconds, he heard Claire gasp. "Bloody hell," she said.
She inched her way into the corner, taking Darien with her, wanting to get as far from the forms as possible. She started to pound on the sides of the elevator. "Help! Bobby, Alex, help us, please!" she screamed with desperation.
"Claire, it's not gonna do any good. We're stuck somewhere between the sixth and fifth floor. There's no way there gonna hear us," said Darien dejectedly. He quicksilvered his eyes once more and saw that the forms were gone. Relaxing slightly, he found Claire with his good arm and pulled her close to him, nearly embracing her. He could feel her shaking in his grasp. "Shhh, it's okay, we're gonna be okay," he whispered soothingly into her ear.
"I'm scared, Darien," he heard Claire mutter softly.
"I know, I am too," he said, resting his head on top of her head. His body started to shake a couple of seconds later. Claire felt it and tightened her grip on him. They both hoped like hell that someone would notice they were missing, the sooner the better.
"Where the hell are they?" asked Bobby as he checked his watch.
Alex looked up from her stack of folders curiously. "Where's who?"
"Fawkes and the Keep! They've been gone for over an hour," he replied, worry evident in his tone.
Alex shrugged. "Maybe they decided to ditch out and got to lunch. With Fawkes, nothing would surprise me."
"That's what worries me," responded Bobby. He reached into his tux jacket and pulled out his cell phone. He started to dial, but stopped when he heard no dial tone. He threw it to the ground in disgust. "Ah ha! It's dead!"
Alex raised her eyebrows. "So?"
"So... so... the ghosts have probably cut of all communication to this floor," he said as he stood up.
"Bobby, you don't really believe this floor is haunted, do you?" asked Alex with disbelief.
"Bobby Hobbes believes in all things paranormal," he said, walking out the door.
"That explains a lot," muttered Alex under her breath. She stood up and walked out the door to follow Bobby. "Where are you going?" she asked when she saw Bobby standing at the elevator.
Just at that moment, a huge bolt of thunder clashed outside, causing the walls to vibrate. Both Alex and Bobby jumped.
"This place is haunted, I'm telling you!" said Bobby matter of factly as he pushed the elevator button.
"Bobby, it's not haunted, it's just old," said Alex.
Bobby pushed the button again. "That's where you're wrong, Monroe. Fawkesy saw something before. Didn't you see that freaked out look in his eyes? Fawkes may be a lot of things, but crazy is not one of them," said Bobby. He paused and then added "Well at least not most of the time."
Alex only shook her head in disbelief.
Bobby ignored her doubting glare and pushed the elevator button again. "What the hell is up with this freakin thing?" he asked, pushing the button several times.
"Maybe it's out. Lightning might have screwed up its power source," replied Alex.
Bobby turned around and rapidly walked towards the other end of the hallway. Alex exhaled and ran after him. "Bobby wait!" she called after him.
He turned around and gave her a smug look. "See, you don't want to be alone up here either," he said.
"No, actually I'm kind of hungry and I thought I'd take a break," she responded.
"Just keep telling yourself that, Monroe," said Bobby as he reached the door to the stairwell. He tugged hard at the door, but it wouldn't budge. He eyed Alex. "Little help?"
Alex smiled. "You seem to be doing just fine by yourself there, Agent Hobbes," she said pleasantly.
Bobby muttered a curse and pulled harder. Finally, after several minutes he was able to open the door. He held it open for Alex. "After you," he said sarcastically.
Alex rolled her eyes and walked through the door.
Bobby was about to follow when the door was forced out of his hands and slammed shut. He gave the door a strange look and tried to open it, but it was no use. The door felt like it had been cemented shut.
"Hobbes!" yelled Alex from the other side of the door.
"It's locked, I can't open it!" he yelled back.
A sudden intense bolt of lightning, followed by a loud thunderclap managed to knock out all the power in the building.
Alex started to panic slightly as the stairwell was cast into thick darkness.
"Hobbes, I can't see anything," she yelled. Her hands reached for the handle of the door, trying to open the door herself, but it still wouldn't budge. "Door won't open on this side either," she yelled.
"Alex, you gotta find Eberts or the Official. Tell them I'm stuck up here and Fawkes and the Keep might be in the elevator," he yelled back.
"But Hobbes, I can't see anything," she yelled back.
"You're a five star agent, Monroe. I'm sure you'll work something out," he yelled.
Alex sighed harshly, jumping at another thunderclap. "Fine," she screamed. "I'll be back with the cavalry. Don't let the ghosts and goblins get you," she said.
"Good luck, Monroe," she heard Bobby yell.
"Yeah, yeah," she whispered to herself. She took a deep breath and started feeling her way down the wall. Her foot found the first step and she carefully stepped down. She had know idea how the hell she was going to do this in high heels without killing herself, but she had to try.
******************************
All that was audible in the elevator were the sounds of Darien and Claire's shallow breathing. There had been no further sign of the ghostly lights, but that didn't mean that the pair still wasn't terrified.
Darien shifted his sitting position slightly, trying to ignore the pain shooting through his arm and the queasy feeling building in his stomach.
A thunderclap sounded outside, causing Claire to jump.
"Easy, Keep," whispered Darien soothingly.
Claire nuzzled closer to Darien, taking comfort in the warm human contact. She sighed harshly. "I'm going to miss the trick or treaters," she said sadly.
Darien patted her on the shoulder. "Naw. Hobbes and Monroe will find us and get us out in no time," he said, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the side of the elevator. "Why are you so excited about the trick or treaters anyway, Keep? I wouldn't figure you to get into all of this Halloween crap," he said.
"Are you kidding? I love Halloween! All the kids dressed up in costumes, going door to door to beg for candy. I love seeing all their eager little faces at my door," she said.
"Hmmm, interesting," responded Darien. He swallowed a groan as pain shot through his arm. "If you could be anything for Halloween, what would you be?" he asked, trying to take his mind off the agony that had become his arm.
"Well that's easy. Either Farrah Fawcett in Charlie's Angels or Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer," she said.
Darien laughed. "You just want to be some bad ass chick," he said.
"You're damn right," she replied. "What about you? What would you want to be?"
"Dirty Harry," he replied.
Claire smiled. "You just want to be some bad ass guy," she said teasingly.
"You're damn right," he said.
Another thunderclap crashed outside, this one much louder than the other. It caused the elevator to shake and shimmy, doing nothing to help Darien's nausea.
"Aw crap," whispered Darien as he swallowed bile.
"What? What's wrong?" asked Claire worriedly.
"I don't feel so good," said Darien.
"No, Darien no, you can't throw up in here," said Claire anxiously.
"I know, I know," said Darien weakly. He moaned softly.
"Why don't you lie down, that might help," said Claire as she shifted away from Darien so he could move.
"Okay," he responded. He gingerly supported his bad arm and stretched out his long legs from their scrunched up position. Then he gently laid his head back on the floor, his bad arm held tightly by his good arm. He felt a hand on his stomach. "Umm, Claire, that's your hand, right?" he asked anxiously.
"Yeah it's my hand. Do feel any better?" she asked as she lightly stroked his abdomen.
"Yeah, this is much better, Keep," he responded.
"Good," said Claire, satisfied. "Why don't you get some rest," she urged. "I think the coast is clear right now."
"Okay," murmured Darien. His eyes slammed shut in exhaustion and within two minutes, the elevator was filled with the sound of light snoring.
******************************
Alex crept slowly down the darkened stairwell, taking extra care not to take a headfirst dive down the stairs.
She could hear the sounds of the thunder and rain coming from outside as well as the sound of her own footsteps echoing through the stairwell.
She estimated that she was somewhere on the fourth floor. She had tried opening the exit doors on the fifth floor, but she couldn't get it to budge. She was starting to feel more and more uneasy.
Alex reached the third floor landing and felt around for the door. When she found it, she pulled with all her strength, but it wouldn't open. "Damn it!" she muttered loudly.
She leaned against the wall and sighed harshly in frustration. Her heart leapt for a second when she heard the echo of someone else's footsteps. "Who's there?" she shouted.
The footsteps stopped. "Hello? Anyone there?" she called out.
Her only response was a loud crack of thunder.
She took a deep breath. "Calm down, Monroe, just calm down," she whispered to herself.
She felt along the wall until she felt the stair railing. Then she grabbed onto it and started to make her way down the stairs once again.
The echo of her footsteps sounded through the stairwell once again. A few seconds later, she heard the other set of footsteps start again.
"Okay, who's out there?" she yelled in slight terror.
There was no answer, but she could hear the footsteps getting closer. She could faintly make out a strange light bouncing across the walls.
Terrified, Alex crouched down from her position on the staircase. The footsteps were so loud, they were practically on top of her.
"Who's there?" Alex whispered softly.
She was suddenly blinded by a harsh light.
"Miss Monroe, what are you doing in here?" asked Eberts as he shined his flashlight at her.
Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Eberts, thank god! Hobbes, Fawkes and Claire are in trouble," she said as she grabbed the flashlight out of his hands. Eberts grabbed it back from her harshly.
Alex gave him an odd look. "We need to get them off the sixth floor."
Eberts ignored her and continued to walk up the stairs.
"Eberts no, all the doors are stuck! We have to find another way," she said in anger.
Eberts slowly turned around and Alex screamed when she saw him. His entire face was gone, replaced by glowing multicolored lights. He stepped closer to her and she backed up in a panic.
"Don't interfere with us. We need him," the spirit whispered in a shrill tone.
Alex grabbed the flashlight out of the ghost's hand and ran rapidly down the stairs, her heart feeling like it might explode. When she reached the ground level, she sighed in relief when she saw that the door was wide open.
She ran out the door and crashed into a warm body. She picked herself off the ground and then fell back down again when she saw it was Eberts. "Okay, just stay away, I'm not afraid of you!" she yelled.
Eberts looked at her with confusion. "Miss Monroe?"
"No, no you did that before. You're one of them, you're a ghost," she said as she crawled backwards.
Eberts shook his head. "I'm not really sure what you're talking about Miss Monroe. I was just about to come up the stairwell and see if everything was going smoothly with fall cleaning. The Official was concerned that maybe things weren't..." he said.
Alex started to calm down. "Shut, up Eberts," she interrupted. "Look, Fawkes, Claire and Hobbes are in trouble. Fawkes and the Keep are stuck in the elevator and Hobbes is trapped on the floor. All the doors in the stairwell are stuck. Is there another way we can get up there?" she asked urgently.
Eberts started to talk and then hesitated.
"Spill it, Albert," said Alex firmly.
"Well it's just that there's this secret passage in the building. They built it in case the Agency was ever attacked so there would be a way to escape. It runs throughout the whole building. The only people who know about it are me and the Official," he said meekly.
"Well we need to get them off that floor now. Where is it?" she asked urgently.
Eberts sensed the concern in her voice and decided to break a few rules. "It's this way," he said as he quickly started to walk down the hall.
Alex took a deep breath and followed him.
*****************************
"All right, I want all creatures, whether of the natural or the supernatural to put their hands up and surrender peacefully," yelled Bobby as he kicked the door down to Lab 602.
All that greeted him were a few beds that looked like they hadn't been made in thirty years. He took a deep breath and shivered slightly.
Bobby took a step back and wound up back in the hallway. He glanced at the small window at the other end of the hall, grateful it was letting some light in, no matter how little.
He waved his gun in the air, aiming at nothing in particular. "Okay, listen up, Caspers. I know you ghosts are upset because we disturbed your home. I can understand why you would get a little ticked off," he said, looking the halls up and down. "So what do you say you let us go and then we'll be out of your hair. You can go back to your normal lives, doing whatever it is that ghosts do." He smiled and held out his arms. "Huh? So what do you say? Do we have a deal or what?"
He felt something rushing towards him and before he could react, he was flat on his ass. He immediately picked himself off the floor, cocking his gun. "What, do you think a little ghost is gonna scare Bobby Hobbes? Huh?" he shouted.
He ran over to lab 603 and kicked down the door. He saw that it was nearly identical to the first lab. He also saw that it was empty. He started to systemically search all the rooms in the corridor, kicking down the doors and casing it with his gun. They also were empty.
He was about to go in the last room, when he heard large thuds coming from the stairwell door. "Monroe?" he yelled as he walked to it. He tried the door and was surprised that it opened. He felt something cold rush past him and the door was slammed shut again. He tried to open the door again, but found that it was stuck.
"This is not funny, my friends!" he yelled as he walked over to the last room in the hall, marked 666.
He kicked it open and was met with the bright white light of a padded room.
"Oh man," he said with worry as he realized all the lights in the room were on despite the electricity being off.
Bobby was about to step into the room when the door was abruptly slammed shut. He quickly walked over to the previous room and found a door inside that led to the observation area for the padded room. He stared in awe as brilliant flashes of pinks and blues reflected off the light bulbs of the brightly-lit room. A drop of cold sweat dropped from his forehead and his heart started pounding in his ears when he realized what those flashing lights were. "Aw crap," was all he could manage to get out of his mouth.
*************************
Darien was jostled out of his sleep by the sudden violent movement of the elevator.
"Darien! Darien, wake up!" he heard Claire yelling in a panic. Darien moaned in response, the pain in his arm hitting him full force.
The elevator started moving up and down, jerking violently at each stop. Darien sat up quickly, fear pouring through his veins. He felt the cold of the quicksilver coat his entire body.
"No! Darien please come back, come back," yelled Claire after she heard him quicksilver. She couldn't handle having another invisible being in the elevator with her.
With superhuman strength, Darien somehow managed to calm his rapidly beating heart. A few seconds later, the quicksilver was shed. "Claire, what's happening?" he asked as the elevator lurched up, knocking Darien against the siding.
"I don't know!" sobbed Claire.
Ignoring the pain in his arm, Darien felt around for Claire. When he found her, he pulled her tightly against him, wanting to simultaneously comfort her and comfort himself.
The elevator shuddered again and just as quickly it stopped, leaving the elevator eerily silent. The only sounds were the harsh, panicked breaths coming from Darien and Claire.
"Is it over?" Claire asked.
"I hope so," replied Darien.
Just as those words left his mouth, the elevator rapidly plunged towards the ground.
"Ahhhhhhh," they both screamed in horror, holding on to each for dear life.
"Darien...I...I'm...glad I got to know you," Claire whimpered.
"Me too, Claire," he yelled back.
They were both preparing for their final moments when the elevator abruptly stopped just short of the ground floor. All was still for a moment and then the elevator rapidly started to rise.
Claire clutched Darien even closer, holding him so tight that she left bloody indentations from where her finger nails embedded in his skin.
Darien managed to quicksilver his eyes as the elevator rose towards the sixth floor. He saw a shimmering blue light floating over their heads. He let the quicksilver drop and let out a small sob. "They're here, Claire," he said.
He pulled her to him even tighter, ignoring the pain from her fingernails and his arm, only wanting to hold something human.
The elevator continued to rise, rapidly approaching the sixth floor. When it got there, the elevator shook violently, bumping Claire and Darien all over the elevator. Then all of a sudden the elevator doors opened, allowing dim light to enter in their tomb.
Darien was sprawled out on the floor in a daze, hardly able to breath. He felt Claire's hand still violently clutching his arm. He could hear her rapid breaths.
"Claire," he choked out.
"Darien," she responded in a whisper.
"Are we dead?" he asked.
"I don't think so," she replied.
Darien heard footsteps coming down the hall towards the elevator. In a panic, he quicksilvered his eyes and turned his head to see who or what was coming towards him. When he saw it was Bobby, he sighed in relief and shed the quicksilver, letting his head fall to the floor in exhaustion.
"Fawkes, Keep! What the hell happened? Are you guys okay?" he asked with concern as he got to the elevator and observed the pale faces and trembling bodies of his partner and his partner's Keeper.
Claire gave him a weary stare and pulled herself into a sitting position, still holding onto Darien. She looked at where her hand was clasped on to Darien's arm and noticed the bloody gashes. "Oh Darien, I'm sorry," she said.
Darien pulled himself upright with a little assistance from Bobby. "It's okay," he whispered breathlessly. He began to crawl out of the elevator, pulling Claire with him. When they were both out of the elevator, Darien collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily. Claire joined him, wrapping her arm around his waist.
"We need to get the hell off this freakin floor," said Bobby as he sat down next to his friends.
Darien opened his eyes. "Uh huh," he murmured.
Suddenly, Darien felt tight arms clasp his shoulders. "Guys!" he said in a panic.
Claire grabbed on tightly to him, but could tell she was on the losing end of the struggle. "Darien!" she shouted.
Darien was violently pulled from her grasp and quickly dragged down the hallway by an unseen force. "Help! Help me please!" he screamed.
"Fawkes," yelled Bobby as he scrambled to his feet and caught Darien by the foot. He pulled as hard as he could, trying desperately to free Darien from the spirit's grip. "Hold on, partner," he yelled. Claire got up in a flash and grabbed Darien's other foot, pulling with all her strength. "No!" she yelled as tears flowed down her face.
"Ahhhh," Darien screamed as the pain in his arm ignited due to all the pulling. He eyed Bobby and Claire with a few tears trickling down his cheeks. "Help," he mouthed, unable to form words.
Bobby and Claire continued to try and free Darien, but suddenly the ghost pulled harder, knocking Bobby and Claire to the ground. They watched in horror as Darien was dragged down the hall by the unseen entity. "Help! Please god, help me!" Darien rasped. He started to hyperventilate as the terror hit his body.
Bobby got off the floor and ran after Darien. "Fawkes! I'm coming partner, I'm coming," he yelled.
But the ghost was too fast for him. It rapidly dragged Darien to the end of the hall, opening the door to the padded room. Then the door shut and all that was audible was the sound of Bobby's footsteps and Claire's sniffling.
"Darien!" yelled Bobby as he reached the door and tried to open it. Claire joined him in trying to get the door open, but it was no use. The both looked at each other in horror as they heard Darien's faint shouts coming from behind the door.
Alex nearly tripped over the boxes littering the staircase of the secret passage. "Looks like this place could use a little fall cleaning of it's own," she said as she followed Eberts up the winding staircase. "Has this thing ever been used?"
"Not that I know of," he said in a shaky voice, still a little scared from the tale Alex had told him about seeing his ghostly double on the stairs.
They both stopped short when they heard screams of horror coming from somewhere above them. "Oh god, that sounds like Fawkes," said Alex.
Eberts picked up the pace with Alex following closely behind. They soon reached the landing to the sixth floor. Alex sighed when she saw that the door was sealed shut. "Now what?"
"No, Miss Monroe, that's just a decoy. There should be a section in the wall that we can push that will open it," said Eberts as he walked to the wall and started pushing at random spaces on the wall.
Alex stepped next to him and pushing at the wall as well.
**************************
"Bobby we have to get him out!" cried Claire in desperation. Bobby took her arm and pulled her into the next room, leading her to the observation room.
They both gasped in horror as they saw Darien's body being jerked about the room. Tears were pouring down his face and they could hear his voice desperately trying to scream. They could also make out the faint glow of multicolored lights flying through the room.
"Oh my god!" yelled Claire as she put her hands over her face, unable to watch.
Bobby pulled out his gun. "Step back," he said to Claire. Claire did as she was told. Bobby fired at the glass partition once, sighing in disgust when he realized the glass was bullet proof. He kept on firing anyway, hoping like hell that enough bullets would take down the glass eventually.
**************************
Darien's was breath was coming in quick spurts. He saw the sprits dancing all over the room, not even needing to quicksilver his eyes. His head turned rapidly towards the glass partition when he heard a crash against it. "Bobby, help me!" he cried out, praying that his partner was on the other side.
He saw a ghost flying rapidly towards him. "No!" he whispered. The ghost tore through him, sending images of a woman tied down, acid burning through her flesh. "Oh god!" he sobbed.
Another ghost took its turn, flying into Darien at full force. This time Darien saw a man with electricity flowing through his body.
"You are one of us, Darien. Join us," he heard whispered.
Darien looked at one of the forms. "Like hell," he said.
Suddenly, all the ghosts dove towards him at once, sending images of more experiments through his body. He could feel the pain of the acid, of the electricity, of poisonous toxins, of fire burning through his veins. He could see people struggling against restraints and straitjackets. He saw people bouncing around the padded room. He also saw needles filled with different colored substances being plunged into arms. He couldn't take it anymore. "Stop! Please stop!" he yelled. His body responded to the fear and he was instantly invisible.
************************
"Damn it, Fawkes," yelled Bobby as he saw Darien turn invisible. He continued to fire his gun into the glass, making a ton of cracks but not quite breaking through the barrier.
"The hell with this," he said as he threw down his gun and started to kick where the glass was the most damaged. Claire stepped beside him and joined in.
*************************
Alex pushed on what seemed like the hundredth section on the the wall. "Eberts, we don't have time!" she yelled.
Taking a deep breath, Eberts eyed an untouched section of the wall and then pushed it firmly. The side of the wall popped open.
Alex gave him an admiring glance. "Well done, Albert," she said.
Eberts grinned and they both stepped through the door. Alex recognized the room, realizing that they were in lab 601. They could hear pounding and screams coming from somewhere down the hall.
Alex grabbed Eberts and pulled him out the door. "This way," she yelled.
****************************
Darien was sobbing his eyes out as the ghosts continued to terrorize him. He felt hands suddenly grip his neck tightly, cutting off all of his air. "Now you can be one of us," one of the entities whispered.
Darien eyed the glass partition helplessly, knowing that his friends couldn't see him. He calmed himself down and gradually shed the quicksilver, hoping like hell that his friends would get him out before he died.
******************************
Alex and Eberts ran into the observation room, seeing Bobby and Claire kicking at the glass. Claire turned around and gave them a look of desperation. "Help us!" she pleaded.
Alex glanced through the glass and saw Darien shedding quicksilver. It looked like something was attacking him. She quickly stepped towards the glass and started kicking. Eberts join in as well.
Thirty seconds later, the four of them still hadn't made any progress.
"Enough of this crap," said Bobby as he stopped kicking and pushed everyone away from the glass. He took a step back and then threw himself against the glass, effectively breaking through it. He landed heavily in the other room.
Darien eyed him intensely. "Help me," he gasped out, unable to breath.
Bobby recovered quickly from the fall and jumped up, running to Darien. Claire and Alex, who had stepped through the broken partition, joined him. The three of them latched on to Darien, forcefully dragging him away from the entity that was grasping him so tightly.
Darien nearly passed out as air flooded his lungs, making him cough and retch. His arm started to ache furiously. He felt himself being hoisted through the empty space of what had been the glass partition. He was gently caught on the other side by Eberts.
"Go! Go!" yelled Bobby as he helped Alex and Claire through the glass before going through himself.
After getting through the window, Bobby took Darien from Eberts and wrapped Darien's good arm around his on shoulders. Claire came to the other side and grabbed Darien's waist. They started to lead Darien out of the lab as quickly as possible.
"This way guys," yelled Alex as she ran ahead of them, leading them to the secret passage. Eberts followed her with Bobby, Claire and Darien close behind.
They ran rapidly, trying to ignore the hisses and wails coming from behind them. Bobby snuck a glance behind them a saw multi colored lights chasing after them. He tightened his grip on Darien and picked up the pace.
They followed Alex into lab 601 and saw an opening in the wall. "Hurry guys!" yelled Alex.
Alex ran through the opening, followed by Eberts. Claire let go of Darien and also ran through the opening. Bobby was about to follow with Darien when he felt his partner being pulled out of his grasp.
"You can't have him, you bastards!" yelled Bobby. He gripped Darien tightly around the waist and pulled him from the spirits grasp. Then he pushed him through the opening, causing Darien to land heavily on the floor with a loud moan. Bobby quickly followed.
Once inside the passage, Bobby and Eberts shoved the door closed as quick as they could. They could hear pounding and screeches on the other side, but there was no sign of any of the spirits in the passageway.
Bobby sighed in relief and glanced down at his partner, who was breathing heavily on the floor. Claire was knelt down next to him, checking him over. "You okay, partner?" Bobby asked with concern.
In response, Darien threw up all over the floor and passed out.
********************************
Two hours later, the electricity had come back on in the building and the storm had stopped. Darien was in the Keep, shivering in the counteragent chair with a blanket wrapped tightly around him. Claire had set his arm and had tended to the cuts from her fingernails and the bruises around his neck from nearly being strangled. She had also fixed up Bobby, who had gotten a couple of cuts from smashing through the glass. Bobby, Alex and Eberts were currently in the Official's office, debriefing him about "fall cleaning."
Claire could hear Darien's teeth chattering and his loud ragged breathing. She took a wash cloth and soaked it with warm water. Then she walked over to Darien and gently placed it on his forehead. He looked at her with scared eyes.
"Easy Darien," she said, as she encouraged him to lie down.
Darien shook his head. She could see he was struggling not to completely lose it in front her. "It's going to be okay, Darien," she said soothingly as she pulled him into a hug. All she could feel was the trembling of his body. She held him as tight as she dared, not wanting to hurt his arm. She felt him accept the hug and hug her back.
" Thanks," she heard him whisper softly.
"No, thank you, Darien. You kept me sane when we were in that elevator. If you hadn't have been there I don't know what I would have done," she whispered into his ear.
"That works both ways, sister," said Darien in a shaky voice. He jumped when he heard the Keep door open.
Claire gave him a pat on the back and released him from the hug. She looked up and saw Bobby, Alex, Eberts and the Official all looking at Darien with mixed looks of concern and pity.
"How is he?" asked the Official.
Claire looked at Darien and nodded reassuringly. "He's fine. A little banged up and little freaked out, but he will be just fine," she said. "Any sign of anything?" she asked, trying to avoid scaring Darien.
Bobby shook his head. "Nope. I think are colorful friends are pretty much stuck for good up there," he said.
Claire smiled with relief. "Good," she said. She glanced at Eberts. "Alex told us that it was you who figured out to rescue us. Thank you, Eberts," she said warmly.
Eberts blushed. "Just doing my job, Claire," he answered.
Bobby patted Eberts on the back. "How's it feel to run with the big boys, Eberts?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Eberts smirked. "It feels quite good, Robert," he replied.
Bobby checked his watch. "Well folks it's only 7 o'clock and the Halloween festivities are just getting started. I think we should all go out and have some spirits of our own," said Bobby as he glanced at Darien. "What do you say, Fawkesy. Want to get out of here and forget this day ever happened?"
Claire looked at Bobby sternly. "Darien needs to get some rest, Bobby," she said. "His arm is going to be aching with a vengeance later on and he needs to take it easy."
"Oh come on Keep, it's Halloween. After a few vodka and cranberries, Fawkes won't be feeling anything," he said. "Want to, buddy?" he asked as he looked at Darien.
Darien smiled wanly. "Maybe next time, Hobbesy," he said softly. He looked down for a second and then looked back at all of them. "Thanks everyone, for you know...saving me."
Alex stepped forward and nudged Darien on the leg. "It's okay. I'm all ready thinking of ways you can repay us," she said jokingly.
"Somehow I have a feel that's going to be very painful," he said.
Alex grinned. "Oh you have no idea," she said. She looked at Bobby. "Would an experienced man in the field be interested in spending some time with a lowly five-star agent?" she asked coyly.
Bobby raised an eyebrow. "It would be a pleasure, my dear," he said. He looked around the room. "Any other takers?"
Alex glanced over at Eberts. "I think Eberts deserves a night out after displaying such bravery," she said. "What do you think Albert?"
"Well actually Miss Monroe I already have plans..." he responded, looking over at the Official.
The Official shook his head. "Nonsense Eberts. Work can wait. Go out and have some fun. You deserve it," he said as he walked to Eberts and punched him lightly in the stomach.
Eberts grunted slightly. "Well okay sir, if you insist," he said.
Bobby gave Eberts a look of disgust. "I bet I can drink you under the table, my friend," he said.
"Actually Robert you might be surprised at my alcohol tolerance," he said.
Alex herded both Bobby and Eberts toward the door. "Let's go, kids," she said.
Bobby turned and looked at Darien and Claire. "Take care, you guys," he said.
They both smiled. "Have fun," said Claire.
Alex glanced at Bobby and Eberts. "Oh we will," she said smugly.
The trio walked out the door, already in the midst of an argument about which bar they should go to.
The Official smiled as he watched the trio leave and then glanced at Darien. "Are you sure you're okay, son?" he asked.
Darien eyed him intensely. "There's just one thing I have to know, sir," he said.
"What's that?" the Official replied.
"Did you have anything to do with those...people...experiments up there?" he asked, fear creeping into his eyes.
The Official shook his head firmly. "No. That went on before I started working here. You might think I'm a cold-hearted bastard Darien, but I promise that whatever happened to those people will not happen to you. You have my word on that," he said, holding out his hand.
Darien eyed him uneasily and shook his hand. "I hope I don't regret trusting you," he said softly.
The Official shook his head. "You won't," he said firmly. He looked over at Claire and smiled. "Go home Miss Keeply, it's been a rough day," he said.
She looked at him. "Yes sir," she said.
"Happy Halloween, kiddies," said the Official as he walked out the door.
Claire looked at Darien. "What are your plans for tonight, Darien?" she asked.
Darien shrugged. "I figured I would go home and crawl into bed before the painkillers hit," he said, shivering slightly at the thought of being alone.
"Why don't you come home with me?" she asked, not really wanting to be alone herself. "You can lay on the couch and play with Pavlov and watch all the trick or treaters at the door. "Plus I can keep an eye on you and your arm."
Darien slowly nodded. "Yeah, okay Keep," he said.
Claire grinned. "Good! It'll be fun, I promise," she said. She took his good arm and helped him off the chair. Then she grabbed her medical bag and stuffed some painkillers in it in case Darien needed them later.
"All set," she said. Darien kept the blanket wrapped around him and started for the door. Claire followed closely behind. They walked through the halls of the Agency, marveling at how still and calm everything was. When they got out to the parking lot, Darien tilted his head and looked towards the six floor. His body shuddered slightly. Claire noticed this and touched his shoulder. "Are you all right?" she asked.
Darien gave her a smile. "Never been better," he responded.
Claire shook her head, not believing him. She helped him into the passenger seat of her SUV and then walked to the driver's side. Before getting in, she took her own peek at the sixth floor. "I won't let that ever happen to him," she whispered to herself as she got in the SUV.
She looked at Darien as she sat in her seat and smiled. "Buffy Summers and Dirty Harry, here we come," she said, determined to cheer him up and calm him down.
Darien laughed slightly and relaxed into his seat, trying to humor her. As much as he wanted to forget what had happened, he knew those ghosts and their horrible images would be with him for a very long time.
The End
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