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Chapter Five
Thursday, August 22 2034
1:28 am
Giselle floated in a parallel between the welcome abyss of sleep and the drowsily tinted world of consciousness. She had been heavily sedated the night before and has slept ever since. Now that the drugs had begun to wear off she’d been experiencing unwelcome sharp pains shooting up and down her arm. Slowly she pulled herself into an upright position shrugging off her drowsiness. With unfocused eyes Giselle scanned the sterile hospital room for a clock. Across from her a bright green 1:28 am flashed from a digital clock. She let out a groan knowing now she wouldn’t be able to fall back to the peaceful oblivion now that she’d decided to stay awake. She swallowed and found her mouth was dry. Again, she searched the room, this time for a glass of water. As luck would have it there was a cup sitting on the night stand waiting for her. With shaky hands she retrieved it and took a big gulp. It was warm and stale, but anything was fine enough. Giselle let her head rest against the head board before she thought to pick up the remote and turn on the television. She didn’t expect much to be on so she hadn’t bothered to change the channel from the early morning news that was on, warning people that the following week would grow continually hotter than before. Giselle closed her eyes and her thoughts drifted elsewhere, trying to remember the days before the doctors chose to operate on her. Everything was fuzzy, but she knew that would pass along with the fatigue.
“-Breaking news, a young girl was found today at the edge of a small pond clinging to life! She appears to be around the age of twelve to thirteen years old, but when the doctors preformed a blood test on her identity did not come up.” A picture of an unconscious girl with blond hair and waxy, pale skin flashed on the screen, in hopes to catch the eye of her parents who were bound to be worried about their missing daughter; therefore unable to sleep that night. “We will be sticking with her and we will release any other information. Police suspect that this child is somehow related to the two other teen-agers who have died earlier this week…”
Giselle stared blankly at the screen and then shook her head in disgust. She reached for the remote and clicked the television off, and settled back into bed hoping to drift back into sleep again. But her thoughts were swarming in her mind, making the chances of that happening grow slim. With a groan she abandoned the hope of falling asleep and became grudgingly content with staring at the ceiling. Giselle decided that she might try and remember what happened after she had arrived at the base. She remembered that once they arrived she felt very weak and Ace was freaking out, and causing an embarrassing scene with how he fussed over her. Next she remembered drifting in and out of consciousness when she first arrived in the hospital, then when they told her they’d need to perform a surgery on her arm. She lifted her arm and saw it was in a cast, Giselle stared at it in confusion, but it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as when it was first broken, so she chalked it up as post-surgery pain and moved on. Giselle heaved another irritated sigh and settled in for another four hours before anyone would come and check to see if she’d awakened. With the prospect of waiting in the dark with nothing to occupy her time she willed herself to get drowsy. She jammed her eyes shut and tried not to think of anything than other to sleep. Then finally, she slipped back into the calming state of sleep.

Chapter Six
Thursday, August 22 2034
8:25 am
Giselle sat in her room staring at the same door she stared at so many years before, waiting for her mother to return home with their dinner and a report of her hard day at work. It was days like these that Giselle had passed the time baking her mother what seemed to her like mountains of pastries. With every five minutes that passed her gaze would flicker hopefully to the door, wishing that at any moment it would fly open and her mother would walk in with the same weary smile. Even though Giselle knew this was a dream she couldn’t help but to sink into the familiar routine that was her daily life. Slowly her gaze turned back to a cartoon that was playing on the television but she wasn’t watching it. The door had flung wide open and a dark figure stood in the door way. Giselle stood quickly and ran to greet who she’d thought was her mother. Instead there was nothing, and she stared vacantly out to the street thinking it may have been some neighborhood kid playing a practical joke. She decided that was probably the case and closed the door. Giselle turned around and saw a man sitting on the chair she was occupying not a moment before. Her heart jumped with the site of the stranger and she gasped. It was the same man who had informed her of her mother’s death. She knew that but still she asked why he was there. The man repeated those same dreadful words of her mothers’ death and she felt weightlessness, and then as if she was falling.
Giselle kicked and thrashed herself awake and jolted upright with a little cry of shock. Once she collected her breathing she noticed Ace sitting at her side with a worried expression on his face. She tried to give him a reassuring smile but it came out as more of a grimace. He smiled for her, and took her hand.
“Nightmares again?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She nodded and they let the topic go, nightmares were nothing new to them. A doctor came in with a clipboard and started at the sight of Giselle awake. She gave Giselle a warm smile and walked to the end of her bed.
“Good morning dear. Feeling well?” she asked pleasantly. Giselle frowned and raised her arm and moved it around, each movement stung terribly, and her arm felt weak. She gave up and let it flop back down to her side.
“I’ve been better,” she confessed, her voice with a hint of sarcasm. The doctor smiled again and asked her a series of questions, none that Giselle considered to seriously before answering. Once the doctor had scurried away Giselle turned her gaze on Ace. His eyes were worried and wide and she had another attempt at smiling at him, this one succeeding. He returned her smile but said nothing. After another minute or so before he took in a breath, as if preparing to say something, and opened his mouth. He closed it again, apparently deciding better of whatever he was about to say, and went on staring at her. She made a show of shivering and glanced accusingly at Ace. “Jeez, Ace, is today freaky staring contest day or something?” she asked playfully. He chuckled and shook his head.
“Nah, I was just… I’m just… It was just… and now… you know?” he stuttered and looked to her as if hoping she understood his sentiment. Giselle fought the urge to laugh and smiled at him pityingly.
“Ace?” she asked slowly and he smiled sheepishly in response. “What the hell are you talking about?” she finished. He laughed aloud and shook his head.
“Oh, I don’t know!” he exclaimed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I guess… you just, gave me kind of a scare back there and… you know… stuff…” he explained bashfully. They both smiled and he shrugged as if it was no big deal to him. But Giselle knew he’d lost countless hours of sleep worrying over her. She eyed him sympathetically and stretched.
“Sorry about the scare, Ace. I didn’t mean to.” she apologized. He looked at her and waved his hand as if dismissing her apology. Giselle remembered the little girl they found earlier and she turned the television on. It was some college life sitcom that she never bothered to pay attention to and she turned the television back off. It seemed Ace knew what she was looking for because he picked up his laptop that sat next to him and handed it to her.
“I’ve been following her too, ever since they found her. She woke up two hours ago,” he explained. Giselle’s eyes were focused intently on the screen, scanning every bit of information posted. Once she’d finished she gave him his laptop back.
“They think she’s somehow connected to those earlier cases?” she repeated. Ace nodded sadly and ran a hand through his hair, neatly out of order due to his incessant worrying. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then his eyes lit up as if he had remembered something.
“Yes, and they say she has gone mad, completely mental. She’s speaking in complete gibberish just like that one female they found earlier? They think this girl will actually survive which is a good thing,” he said and Giselle smiled.
“Always the optimist,” she commented. The door to her hospital room swung open and a surly faced man was standing in its frame. Giselle recognized the General and nodded in his direction, due to their history together she wasn’t inclined to greet him first. Ace smiled uneasily noticing the tension between the two and he made up for her lack of hospitality.
“Hello, sir,” he said politely and smiled brightly. The General grunted in reply but never turned his hateful gaze from Giselle.
“Agent report,” he commanded and Giselle bitterly recounted the events that lead up to her arm breaking. The General stared at her in disbelief and shook his head in denial. “Can’t be possible, we haven’t had any trouble for too long of a time for some to begin now.” Giselle rolled her eyes at the General and licked her dry lips.
“Well I’m certainly not lying sir I have the broken arm to prove it,” Giselle shot back in reply. The General grumbled and stroke his beard, deep in though. His lips turned down in a frown and he regarded Ace.
“Did you see this action take place soldier?” he asked his voice commanding. Ace smiled and shook his head.
“No sir, but I did see the people she was talking about,” he answered. Giselle looked at him in surprise but then realized that he probably saw them fleeing the building. The General’s face turned red at being proven wrong and he snapped his heels together.
“Well, agent Giselle, you better hurry up and get that arm of yours healed because we need you two on the case. I hate to say it, but you’re the best. And I’m not about to take any chances,” he turned on his heel and left the room. Giselle stared after him sourly and then turned her eyes back to Ace.
“You saw them?” she asked not bothering to hide the surprise in her voice. He nodded in reply and she felt her blood rush to her cheeks. “Why didn’t you stop them!” she bellowed and Ace’s brow creased in confusion.
“What do you mean? And leave you hurt!” he shouted back. Giselle doubled back at this. Ace shook his head at her and folded his arms across his chest. “Absolutely not, for one no agent is left behind and-“
“And two?” she interrupted, her voice bubbled with annoyance. Ace’s features softened and he took her hand.
“And two is that I was too worried. They could have killed you Giselle? I could have found you dead and…” his voice choked and Giselle had her foot in her mouth for being so insensitive. She stumbled to could apologize but he beat her to speak. “And, I couldn’t live knowing I had a chance to save you but I passed it up to catch some crooks. Listen, there is honor among spies and that is take care of you and yours, and…” he paused leaving his sentiment unfinished. Giselle cast her eyes down and she sighed struggling to say something to ease his pain. She glanced sideways at him and nudged him playfully.
“Hey. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to get short with you. It’s just… the General has that effect on me,” she smiled and watched the smile break across his lips. He laughed as she teased the General and sat up straight. He glanced to her arm in the cast and looked as if he had forgotten to tell her something. “Oh, the doctor said you’d be good to go the day after tomorrow. So rest up so we can go catch the bad guys,” he said encouragingly.
That was one of the positive things that came out of the war with Korea. As always astonishing medical advances take place due to military funding. You could heal a deep wound with a quick spritz of ointment. Fix a broken limb within two-three days using Corpse technology. Corpse was the one responsible for all the technological doo-dads that healed you up. The brainiacs that worked there for their living were each assigned a personal soldier during the war. Prime Minister Arden couldn’t have all of their intelligence going to Korea during the war, that wouldn’t be pretty. Giselle frowned as a thought occurred to her.
“We have no leads, no idea where the bad guys are,” she voiced her concern and saw him think this point over.
“We might, once you are better. I suppose in the mean time we can offer our services to the police force. They are way over their heads with these murders. We might as well do something with ourselves,” he answered enthusiastically. Giselle brightened at this and nodded. “Good, now go to sleep. I’m going to go do some research on the murder cases. I’ll come back when you’re awake and show you what I’ve found.” Giselle was about to object to the fact that she wasn’t in the least bit tired; it was a broken bone not a case of pneumonia, but decided not to and nodded. She snuggled back down in to bed and closed her eyes to give the illusion that she was tired.

Chapter Seven
Thursday, August 22 2034
10:30pm
The young girl sat in her hospital bed staring out of the window that was barred off to her, lined in iron so she couldn’t jump out of it as she tried earlier that day. A nurse came in, the third one of that day and asked her name. She stared at her imploringly and cursed.
“For the last time I don’t know my damn name! If I knew it I would have told you! I can’t remember! I can’t remember! It was that damn man! He killed them! He killed them! Why won’t you listen? He killed them and I can catch him! He was always smiling and he is the one who made me forget! He made me forget everything! But I remember him! I remember him and what he’s done to me!” she howled feeling her rage boil over. The nurse remained calm and marked something in her notes. She frowned and looked back at her.
“Do you think you’re name could be Mary?” she asked as if the name would trigger something in the girls’ memory. She howled in fury and lunged at the nurse, with every intention of giving her a slapping good enough to knock some sense into her. The nurse, swifter than her, grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. A pain shot through her and the nurse drove her to the ground. She quickly produced a needle and injected her with a serum that was used to calm patients down. She winced as it entered her blood stream and slumped over. The nurse released her and she sat on the ground feeling like she didn’t want to do much of anything. The nurse picked her notebook back up and checked something off. “Alice?” she asked again. The girl groaned, stood up and walked back to her bed.
“I know my name,” she said declared spitefully. The nurse looked up quizzically and raised her brow as a gesture for the girl to continue. “It’s nobody. I won’t answer to anything else,” she said stubbornly. She turned her gaze back out the window and thought of the man that ruined her life. Because of him everyone thought she was crazy. She knew she’d prove them wrong.
Chapter Eight
Saturday, August 24 2034
1:15 pm
Giselle and Ace stepped into the lobby of Crawford Hall and looked around. It was a tidy little lobby with a pleasant faced receptionist and light elevator music playing, with marble floors and large comfortable chairs. This was, of course, the only peaceful place in Crawford Hall. And its serenity was occasionally interrupted with a high-pitched, blood curdling, scream from somewhere above. Crawford Hall was a mental home; it was in fact the very mental home that a victim of a recent assault would be kept until she became mentally stable enough to be replaced amongst society. The receptionist greeted them with a smile on her face and an ear-splitting scream broke through the gentle silence that the lobby maintained. The receptionists’ smile quivered at the edges and fatigue spilled across her features. Ace and Giselle showed the woman their government IDs and asked to see the patient that was featured on the news; the receptionist gave them the patients’ room number and they excused themselves from her presence. Once they arrived at the patients’ door they heard a terrible screaming come from inside, mostly incoherent; except for one string of words shouted a degree louder than the rest.
“You stupid, wretched, foul little thing! I’ve told you more than necessary what happened! No one here listens to me! I know how to catch the man who did this to me! Does no one here care that there is justice?” she demanded. With that Ace pounded on the door, so that he could be heard above the howling, and waited. The shrieking silenced immediately and heavy foot steps sounded from across the room. The door was thrown open and the nurse looked up expectantly, and then her features fell, they weren’t the ones she wanted to see. She assumed a surly face and tapped her foot at them.
“What?” she asked shortly. Ace showed her his badge before tucking it away and clearing his throat.
“We’d like a moment to speak with this patient. If that’s alright?” he asked politely. The nurse pursed her lips and glanced inside at the small girl restrained at her bed, who glared back at her. The nurse returned her gaze to the two and furrowed her brow.
“I’m afraid she isn’t in the most sociable of moods but –“
“That’s quite alright.” Ace interrupted her. “If you’d prefer to supervise than by all means please do, but this is really quite important and I’m afraid we’re pressed for time madam,” he said, his voice taking a formally polite tone to it. The nurse’s face got red and she stepped aside to let the two walk in.
Giselle pulled a chair up to the side of the bed, and Ace did the same at the other and the little girl glared at them both. She set a pair of particularly venomous eyes on Giselle and snarled.
“What the hell do you want? More shrinks! I don’t need a shrink I need to catch the man who put me in here! Everyone thinks I’m crazy because of him! He’s going to pay! He’s going to pay for everything!” she shrieked and began thrashing against her restraints again. Ace glanced at Giselle before placing a calming hand on the young girls shoulder. She stopped after a while and stared at Ace. He removed his hand and cleared his voice.
“Well, that is why we’re here.” He began and folded his hands together, his tone pleasant, like he was visiting an old friend. The girl stared at him blankly, expecting them to not believe her. “You see, the police really have no leads in this case, your case, and they’ve been told that you aren’t exactly, in a state fit enough to speak with them. If you understand,” he explained with a smile. The girl spat at this.
“They would have been told so; everyone at this damned place thinks I’m crazy! But all I’ve wanted was to be able to catch the man who’s done this to me! To kill him! All anyone cares about here is my name!” She ranted, and then suddenly turned on Giselle. Giselle flinched back, and the young girl laughed. “You think I’m crazy too, don’t you?” she accused of her. Giselle turned her head so she was peering at the girl out of the corner of her eye but didn’t answer her question.
“You said it was a man?” she asked in return instead. The girl frowned and slumped in her bed, her eyes taking a distant quality. She grimaced and then looked up at Giselle.
“Yes, it was a man.” she answered quietly. Ace was the one to speak next.
“What did he look like?” he asked, the young girl bit her lip and took a deep breath.
“He was tall, maybe as tall as you, with all black on, and a mask,” she began slowly, as if piecing together this image in her mind.
“A mask?” Giselle asked. The young girl glared at her and something like a growl came from her chest.
“That’s what I said didn’t I?” she said hatefully, then turned her back on Giselle and looked at Ace. “It was a mask that was smiling, with tiny slits for eyes,” she explained in a voice much sweeter than the one she used with Giselle. Ace nodded and arched a brow at this.
“Really, and what was his hair color?” he asked her. The girl shook her head and closed her eyes.
“Black,” she answered slower than before, her tone was uncertain. “Or brown… but I can’t be certain,” she said.
“Ethnicity?”
“I don’t know,” she answered quickly. “That I really don’t know. He wasn’t showing any skin,” she looked at Ace, and then back to the bed. Ace looked distantly annoyed that the perpetrator was described as vaguely as this. He shrugged and then bent forward and spoke in a low voice, like he was telling her a secret.
“I know this may be hard for you to do, but I am going to need you to tell me what happened that day,” he said meeting her wavering gaze. The young girl sucked in a deep breath and held it. She was clearly debating on whether or not to tell him. Finally she released her breath and glanced at the nurse by the door that looked as if she didn’t approve of the scene in front of her. The young girl smiled and began,
“I was sitting at a pond and…” as she recounted the events she began to grow more and more agitated, and by the end her voice nearly reached a shout. Once she finished she was panting. “And now I am here, tied up like a prisoner being tortured at war! I am not crazy! I’m not crazy! You don’t believe I’m crazy do you?” she asked Ace. He shook his head in reply and looked to the nurse.
“Do you think you could untie her for me please?” he said his tone polite. The nurse looked for a moment that she would deny, then nodded grudgingly and moved to the bed with caution, and released the restraints. The young girl rubbed her raw wrists and tucked her knees to her chest. Ace appeared lost in thought for a good while before standing from his seat. The girl looked sharply up at him and pouted.
“Where are you going?” she asked. “You aren’t leaving me hear are you?” Ace nodded sympathetically before bowing to her gallantly.
“I apologize, but we’re going to go and catch the man you described,” he said and the two began to walk to the door before her voice cried out after them.
“No! You can’t leave me hear! You yourself said you don’t think I’m crazy! I don’t belong here! Take me with you!” she pleaded. Ace bowed his head apologetically and shook his head. She began screeching and they turned away from her and headed toward the elevator. The girls’ cries slowly dying out behind them.
Chapter Nine
Saturday, August 24 2034
12:00 am
A man walked briskly down the street, he hurried from one pool of light to another as he passed under the lamp posts. He wore a long black trench coat and a bowler hat. His shoes made tapping noise that matched his pace. The man tugged the coat tighter around him and walked a little quicker. He turned down a residential neighborhood and paused under a pool of light. Tap tap. He furrowed his brow and whirled around. He could have sworn he’d heard a second pair of footsteps. Tentatively he stepped out from under the lights’ sanctuary and picked up his pace. Tap tap tap tap… He stopped suddenly, tap.
Someone was definitely following him. He adjusted his hat and then took off again at a brisk pace; the following footsteps were off beat as they struggled to match his pace. The man didn’t turn around to try and catch his pursuer, soon he broke off in a run and his follower did as well. He ran up the stairs of his apartment building and fumbled with the keys to his apartment. He heard the footsteps padding up the stairs behind him. He swallowed down the panic that rose up in his throat and finally the lock clicked open.
A wordless howl followed him as he tumbled inside and then slammed the door closed behind him. He leaned against it and his pursuer slammed into it. He struggled to lock the door and finally the reassuring click of the lock slid into place. With a sigh the man turned around and leaned against the door waiting until he heard the footsteps receding down the hallway. Finally he felt comfortable enough to leave the front door and he walked into his living room. The red light on his voicemail machine blinked at him and he pressed the button.
“Hey George, it’s Brian. Calling you to let you know to be careful tonight. That crazy guy called again with all of his demands so… you know, just be careful.” A loud beep followed and George sank onto his couch. It’d been a stressful night, and he just wanted to go home and go to sleep. Tomorrow he’d go into his circle rite and call on his spirits, but tonight… he just wasn’t up for negotiations. He massaged his throbbing temples and closed his eyes. It hadn’t been easy getting where he was, he worked so hard to get here. He lost everything that was important to him. His friends, his job, his family (that last part had been the hardest) was all gone.
He opened his eyes and stood up. He walked open to the window and grabbed the curtains. Just before he drew them close he saw a figure standing in shadow looking up right at him. He paused for a moment and swallowed down the fear that had lodged itself in his throat. He inhaled deeply and pulled the white curtains close and walked into the kitchen. He pulled a cold beer out of the fridge and ambled into his room. He slumped down on his bed and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 12:25 glared at him in bright neon green lights. Next to it was a picture of a beautiful woman with soft, pale skin and a mass of unruly red curls cradling a baby that resembled a beautiful porcelain doll with red cheeks and a small tuft of curly red hair. His heart hammered and he set the picture face down. He popped the top of his beer can and took a swig before settling in for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Chapter Ten
Wednesday, August 28 2034
8:57 am
“- This just in! The same young girl from the attack at the pond Tuesday, March 20th has just committed suicide! Authorities say that it is due to a drug over-dose. They believe that when they delivered her medicine she would hide it until one day she took them all at one time. They say she’s made a previous attempt to jump out of the window, and shows hostility to the staff. It’s no surprise that the poor girl’s life would end like this.-“
Ace stared at the television blankly. Processing the information the news crew was relaying to him. Slowly the disgust began to register on his features. He turned the television off and went to the bedroom where he found Giselle still sleeping. His heart fluttered before he could force himself to wake her up. He sat on the bed next to her and shook her gently.
“Giselle, wake up. I got news for you,” he cooed. Her eyes opened slowly before she looked up at him. She smiled weakly and rubbed her eyes. “Guess what has happened,” he whispered. Drowsily she sat up in bed and stretched. She sighed and shrugged.
“Mmm…” she mumbled sleepily. “I give up, what happened? The General died because of a heart attack while eating yet another greasy hamburger?” she guessed maliciously and chuckled. Ace laughed at this and shook his head.
“No the General is alive and well, but someone else did die,” he answered sadly. Giselle’s eyes became alert and she focused them on him. His heart fluttered as her piercing blue eyes shot to his soul. He couldn’t get over how she looked. Her skin was so stunningly tan and even, her hair was the lightest of browns, and her eyes were such an aqua blue. He shrugged this thought away and continued. “That victim yesterday,” he said for lack of a name to call her by.
“How?” she cried. Ace explained her death and Giselle’s lips puckered into a pout that nearly made his heart stop. He ached to reach out and comfort her but he was too shy to do so.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally. Giselle smiled at him pathetically and shrugged.
“What could you have done to change it?” she asked and looked down at the bed. “It’s just disappointing. She could have pulled through, but she gave up so easily,” she picked at the sheets. “And we could have had more of a lead…” she added with her lips pursed. Ace sighed and stood up.
“Think of it this way, we’ll have more motive now that-“
“Oh, we’ll have more than enough motive now,” Giselle answered through clenched teeth. She pulled the covers away and jumped out of the bed. She changed quickly into a red shirt and Capri’s, and ran her fingers through her hair. Ace watched her in confusion and sagged onto the bed.
“Where are you headed to?” he asked. Giselle turned and smiled at him before walking into the bathroom they shared.
“Why to see my dearest friend, the General of course,” she replied with false sincerity. Ace’s jaw dropped.
“You are kidding right?” he asked in disbelief. “What could you have to say to that man? You two hate each other!” he exclaimed. Giselle came out with her hair in a pony tail and a towel dabbing the water away from her face. She smiled at him and shrugged.
“Do you want to come?” she asked sweetly. Ace returned her smile and nodded.
“Yes, but I want to know why we’re going in the first place,” he stressed. Giselle folded her arms and sighed patiently.
“I want to be put on this case. Officially.”