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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 9, 2016 18:08:26 GMT -5
Emma stopped, not far from Cas. She silently reached into her pocket and pulled out a pocket knife, which she had stolen from someone's tent.
Finch stiffened, then gave Grace's and a quick, departing squeeze and hurried after Mayfair.
Jane burst into the hatch, stopping by the door, which was already locked.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 9, 2016 18:15:28 GMT -5
"Hey!" shouted Henry's voice from inside. "Listen - I don't know what you're talking about. I'm sorry I lied about who I was...but that doesn't change anything! I don't know the people who attacked you!"
Cas stared at her. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked simply.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 9, 2016 18:19:41 GMT -5
Emma tilted her head in an almost alien way. Then she jabbed the knife forward suddenly, not quite touching him but almost.
"Root, open the door." Jane shouted, banging on it. "Root?!"
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 9, 2016 22:04:50 GMT -5
Cas's hand flew up to grab the knife, but missed as Emma withdrew it quickly. "You shouldn't play with that." he advised.
"Thing is...I really, really don't believe you." came Root's voice. "How does 'Henry Gale' end up in the ground, huh? Did you kill him? Sloppy work."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 9, 2016 22:12:38 GMT -5
Emma narrowed her eyes, head still tilted strangely. "You still aren't afraid." She stated. Then she slashed the air beside Cas's head, barely missing.
Jane paced beside the door, unable to do anything but finger her gun.
Finch finally arrived, breathing hard and limping more than usual. Still he hurried to the door and hesitantly put his hands on it, leaning forward. "Root. Please. Stop."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 9, 2016 22:17:03 GMT -5
There was an abrupt silence as Finch spoke. Finally, Root's voice sounded. "I'm sorry, Harold." she said, real regret in her voice now. "But people are missing. This isn't gonna stop."
Reese walked over to Jane. "Have you seen Emma?"
Cas reflexively jerked his head back, then frowned, peering more closely at the child. "Are you angry with me for pushing you?" he asked at last. Since Emma was a child, he hadn't considered entertainment as a motive like he might have if she was the sort of creature he was used to dealing with. He nodded, confident he was correct. "I was desperate. I did not intend to cause you any harm."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 9, 2016 22:27:41 GMT -5
"This isn't the way." Finch's voice sounded tremulously through the heavy door, and if she could have seen his eyes they were wide and sad. "Grace is dying, Root. I need you."
Emma didn't answer. She slashed again, nearly hitting his face, and stabbed the air by his left arm.
Jane glanced at him, shaking her head with a sympathetic look. "No, sorry."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 9, 2016 22:34:00 GMT -5
The sympathetic smile faded from Cas's face as she pinned his trench coat sleeve to the table. It was quickly replaced by an anxious look. "Where did you learn to handle a knife like this?" he asked, reaching for his holy water flask with his uncuffed hand.
Reese closed his eyes and shook his head. "Dammit - then she's here."
"And you won't have me if you get kidnapped by these psychopaths." said Root calmly. "I'll do what I have to."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 9, 2016 22:39:37 GMT -5
"You don't have to." Finch told her. "We're better protected now. Come out, Root, please."
Emma still didn't answer, tugging at the knife with one hand. It didn't come out at first, and she grabbed it with both hands and pulled as hard as she could.
"Here?" Jane repeated sharply. "Why?"
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 9, 2016 22:43:04 GMT -5
All at once, Cas splashed the water at Emma. ""Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus..." he started to recite, staring intensely at her.
But Reese had already pushed past her, heading for the room where Cas was.
Root didn't answer. Instead, a bloodcurdling scream came from Henry.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 9, 2016 22:47:23 GMT -5
Finch closed his eyes and turned away, as if physically pained by the sound. "Root?!" He called one last time.
Emma looked startled as she was suddenly splashed with water. She had wrenched the knife out a moment earlier, and she now swung it at him, confused when he started saying things she didn't understand. Her eyes were wide, and she wasn't paying close enough attention to miss this time.
Jane ran after him, ready to help with who knew what.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 9, 2016 22:54:12 GMT -5
Cas winced as the knife made contact with his face. Reaching up slowly, he touched the wound, feeling blood on his cheek. "Emma!" called Reese, rushing in and pulling her away. Cas stared at her, eyes slightly widened as he tried to figure out what she was.
Root didn't respond.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 9, 2016 22:57:41 GMT -5
Emma stumbled as she was pulled away, staring back at Cas. She noticed with surprise the blood on his face, but she was more drawn to something in his expression, something she couldn't quite place.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 8:27:47 GMT -5
"What were you thinking?" said Reese angrily, holding Emma's hand and pulling her towards the hatch door.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 10, 2016 8:38:45 GMT -5
Emma had to trot to keep up, knife falling out of her hand and hitting the floor with a dull thud. "He's not like everyone else." She told him, trying to pull her hand away.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 8:47:26 GMT -5
Reese slammed the door behind him. "You're right, he's not. He's dangerous. I told you to stay away from him!"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 10, 2016 8:51:55 GMT -5
Emma blinked when the door slammed, staring up at him. "You're angry." She perceived. "It's okay. I knew he couldn't get away again."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 9:54:28 GMT -5
"Then why did you hurt him?" asked Reese, blinking rapidly in his attempts to stay calm.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 10, 2016 10:04:31 GMT -5
Now they were getting somewhere. "I wanted to know what made him different." She told him, and it was mostly true. It was also partly that she couldn't resist playing with his again, the first time she had it had been the most interesting thing to do she could remember. "He threw water at me and started saying something strange, and I wanted him to stop." She added after a moment.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 10:34:42 GMT -5
Reese paused, the strangeness of that statement hitting him. But he brushed it off. "You said your feelings are broken." he began slowly. "And I told you that's okay. It is, but you have to learn this. Some things are still wrong even though you don't feel bad anymore." He suspected for her to really understand, he was going to need Shaw, but he wanted to try.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 10, 2016 10:37:15 GMT -5
"Why?" Emma persisted, staring directly into his eyes. "Why is it wrong? Why do you think your rules are better than mine?"
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 11:06:43 GMT -5
"You're not playing by any rules." said Reese. "You hurt someone because you were bored....alright, hang on. Come with me." He headed for Shaw, who was sitting outside her tent.
Cas frowned, listening to Henry's screams. "Are you certain he is one of these 'others'?" he asked Young, who was still on duty.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 10, 2016 11:16:41 GMT -5
Young glanced at Cas, looking puzzled at being addressed in a polite way. "No." He answered honestly. "Just like I'm not certain you are. But it's not a risk we can take."
Emma followed, confused. "Where are we going?"
Shaw hadn't heard about Root yet, so she was sitting by a fire, biting into a questionable piece of meat.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 11:20:47 GMT -5
Cas continued to stare reflectively at the prison door. "I used to think like you." he mused. "Be a good soldier, bury your conscience, and everything would work out in the end." He turned to look at Young. "You know this is wrong." he said. "And I'm guessing you have someone in your camp who can stop it."
Reese caught up with Shaw and explained the situation to her. "Look - I know this isn't your thing. But it isn't hers, either. That's my point. She needs help, Shaw, and mine won't do."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 10, 2016 11:27:40 GMT -5
Shaw pursed her lips, glanced at Emma, who was sitting on her legs and looking at the fire. "I can try." She said finally, and it wasn't easy to agree. She had to warn him though. "But I have to warn you, the whole sociopath share-and-care club idea has a really high chance of failing." She nodded, bracing herself, and approached Emma. "Hey. So my friend asked me to talk to you."
"It's about the prisoner, Cas." Emma explained matter-of-factly. "He's angry with me for playing with him again."
Young narrowed his eyes slightly at Cas, growing more confused. "I thought you said you didn't know the guy."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 11:32:15 GMT -5
"I have no idea whether or not he's innocent." admitted Cas. "And while this is obviously partially self preservation, I do believe you wouldn't torture anyone if left to your own devices." He was talking a shade more intensely now, blue eyes firmly fixed on Young. "You're letting someone else take over because you can't do it yourself. Because it's what's easy."
Reese stepped a few paces away from the conversation, giving Shaw her privacy.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 10, 2016 15:11:45 GMT -5
Young frowned, gazing back at Cas. The words hit a little too close to home, and the prisoner's eyes were a little too sincere. "Actually it's because of the locked iron door." He answered, more defensive than he'd have liked. "Nice try, though."
For a couple minutes, all Shaw and Emma did was stare at each other. Then Shaw broke the silence. "I'm going to be honest with you, I have no idea what I'm supposed to tell you."
"I just don't understand why I have to listen to what's supposed to be wrong." Emma explained. "Why isn't it better if I don't feel bad?"
"It probably is better." Shaw admitted, knowing lying to the child would be pointless, and ultimately backfire. "You're not like them anymore." She was choosing her words carefully, unsure whether what she was saying would help. "But you still have to do what they say, because you can't tell any more."
"Can't tell what?" Emma frowned, blinking up at Shaw.
"Right or wrong." Shaw took a bite out of her piece of meat while she spoke, unaware that in a normal conversation she would probably be ruining the moment. "John told you that you weren't broken, that you were just different." She glanced over her shoulder, as if making sure Reese wasn't close enough to hear what she'd said next. "Actually, I think it's a bit of both. In a sense, you are broken. So am I. And that means we have to trust the people who aren't broken."
"But what if they're wrong?" Emma clasped her hands together, leaning forward. "What if we can just see what they can't? Why are they right?"
"Because we can't be right anymore." Shaw shook her head. "Look, kid, I'm not gonna sit here and discuss philosophy with you. All I can say is that they have to be your conscience now, even if you don't understand why." She stood up. "So, uh....good luck with everything." And she turned and walked away.
Emma watched her leave, hands folded on her lap. She turned and looked at the fire silently.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 15:17:45 GMT -5
Reese headed back off towards the hatch, giving her time alone.
"And there's no one at all who could get through to your rogue agent?" said Cas, a dubious glint in his eye.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 10, 2016 15:21:23 GMT -5
"Nope." Young said flatly, not pausing to think about whether or not that was true. What kind of military Colonel would he be if he started listening to whatever came out of a prisoner's mouth?
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 10, 2016 15:28:11 GMT -5
Cas nodded and went back to staring at the wall.
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