'I apologize for the abruptness of our departure, but the question of your presence needed to be addressed immediately. Can you stand?'
Simon's voice was void of any remorseful tone, despite his words. The situation did not call for it and he was never one to ever feel the need to apologize for anything, but he felt the young assistant district attorney might need even the pretense of it.
He took a step toward the bed and to his annoyance, the young ADA stood and took two steps back. Simon took a deep breath.
'I don't have time for this. If you want to continue living, you'll come with me now.'
Stuck in a moment.
Continued from I have a rendezvous with death
You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And now you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better
Now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it
- U2
Yuu sat up and immediately regretted it. The throb of her head vibrated violently, whipping her with its displeasure. Yuu reached up with her hands and smiled to herself over the quote that pushed its way through to the forefront of her migraine.
For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure.
'What the fuck does Emerson know', she muttered to her self as she rubbed her eyes and tried to focus them. The first thing she noticed was not what she could see, but feel. The thin robe used to cover her wet body as she emerged from the shower was gone and in its place were soft jeans and a red turtleneck. Yuu shook her head slightly and pulled on the hem of the turtleneck. It was her own.
Looking back up, her vision cleared enough to tell her that, although she was wearing her own clothes, she was not in her home. This was not her bed she was lying on and these were not her things she was looking at. Simply decorated in a traditional yet modern style of dark browns, tans and crisp white, the decor was pleasing, but not her own. More importantly, she was not alone.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention as that part of her brain that gave her the uncanny ability to read body language like an open book told her not to turn around, but her curiosity got the better of her. Yuu slid to the edge of the bed and turned.
Standing at the opposite end of the large bed she had just been laying on was Simon Huntington.
Simon Huntington
15 years ago
Yuu
15 years ago
Yuu shot up off the bed and took two terrified steps back.
'Go with you where? I don't even know where I am right now. Where am I? How'd I get my clothes? Where is Gerald? And just who the fuck are you?'
Yuu noticed she her jeans were tucked into her pair of knee high black leather boots. The familiarity of her clothes did nothing to calm her nerves, if anything it scared her even more. Her life had not only been interrupted, it had been violated. She felt a tear run down her cheek as her hysteria began to rise to epic proportions.
'Where's Gerald?' She asked in a small, scared voice. 'Did you kill him? Are you going to kill me?'
'Go with you where? I don't even know where I am right now. Where am I? How'd I get my clothes? Where is Gerald? And just who the fuck are you?'
Yuu noticed she her jeans were tucked into her pair of knee high black leather boots. The familiarity of her clothes did nothing to calm her nerves, if anything it scared her even more. Her life had not only been interrupted, it had been violated. She felt a tear run down her cheek as her hysteria began to rise to epic proportions.
'Where's Gerald?' She asked in a small, scared voice. 'Did you kill him? Are you going to kill me?'
Simon Huntington
15 years ago
'I didn't get the chance to kill him, Miss Yuukaku, but that's not the problem here...and he wasn't the true target. You were.'
Simon took a slow step toward Yuu as she processed his information. He needed to get her out of the Domicile and return her top side. Hiding her had been prudent, but now they had to leave.
He held out his hand to her as he took another step forward. Why he was being gentle with the woman, he had no idea. She was nothing to him. A woman he had a fleeting moment with a million years ago in some bar. Nothing more. Now she was suddenly a pivotal part of an interesting riddle.
Why had someone wanted her dead and planned for it, albeit indirectly? What would her death gain anyone else? Did the death of her predecessor tie in with this new development? A thousand kills ago sharing the same thread of eventuality with the present. It was an interesting question and the answers were waiting for them.
'Come with me if you want to live, Miss Yuukaku. It is as simple as that.'
Simon took a slow step toward Yuu as she processed his information. He needed to get her out of the Domicile and return her top side. Hiding her had been prudent, but now they had to leave.
He held out his hand to her as he took another step forward. Why he was being gentle with the woman, he had no idea. She was nothing to him. A woman he had a fleeting moment with a million years ago in some bar. Nothing more. Now she was suddenly a pivotal part of an interesting riddle.
Why had someone wanted her dead and planned for it, albeit indirectly? What would her death gain anyone else? Did the death of her predecessor tie in with this new development? A thousand kills ago sharing the same thread of eventuality with the present. It was an interesting question and the answers were waiting for them.
'Come with me if you want to live, Miss Yuukaku. It is as simple as that.'
Yuu
15 years ago
No.
She wanted to scream it in his face. No she wasn't going with him. She wanted nothing to do with Simon Huntington, the once charming, charismatic man she had met in Shades the year before, but who was now some sort of silent, stoic killer who happened to save her accidentally. And it was an accident. She knew that her death should have been a small and inconsequential factor in Senator DeSmith's assassination. A happenstance.
Yuu's world had changed and with that change, acceptance was threatening her, demanding her cooperation and conformity. It didn't care if she didn't understand. So the question was, did she want to live?
'Yes,' she murmured and took a step toward Simon. 'Yes, god damnit.'
She wanted to scream it in his face. No she wasn't going with him. She wanted nothing to do with Simon Huntington, the once charming, charismatic man she had met in Shades the year before, but who was now some sort of silent, stoic killer who happened to save her accidentally. And it was an accident. She knew that her death should have been a small and inconsequential factor in Senator DeSmith's assassination. A happenstance.
Yuu's world had changed and with that change, acceptance was threatening her, demanding her cooperation and conformity. It didn't care if she didn't understand. So the question was, did she want to live?
'Yes,' she murmured and took a step toward Simon. 'Yes, god damnit.'
Simon Huntington
15 years ago
If she hadn't said yes, Simon would have resorted to physical force and just carried her out, over his shoulder, much like the way he brought her into the Domicile. Without waiting for her to become comfortable with her decision, Simon quickly walked to her, grabbed her by the arm and escorted her quickly out of the room.
Waiting outside was Kenley, her PC touch screen tablet in hand.
'What did you find out?'
'The order was issued to Miss Duban almost simultaneously. There is no origin.'
'That can't be right.'
'That's through our contacts. I had a little trouble with who the...Moderator deals with.' Kenley was smart to censor herself around the ADA and Simon was thankful for her quick thinking.
Simon nodded slowly, but was unimpressed. Kenley wasn't as talented at gathering information as Carol was, he thought to himself, and he tried to ignore the ugly pang of despair that sat at the pit of his stomach.
Simon stopped and looked at her as he pushed Yuu into the elevator that was waiting at the end of the hall. 'Contact Carol at Duibne, she'd have...'
'I did that, Mr. Huntington. Miss Hedley has an uncanny ability to dig out a wealth of information. There's only one source that serves as the Moderator's middle man.'
Simon looked away from Kenley at the mention of Carol's ability to serve the clan. He missed her enough to know that it showed on his face and thankfully Kenley had the good graces not to embarrass him by mentioning it. The elevator stopped at the parking garage level of the Domicile. Kenley walked with Simon to the waiting car. As Simon opened the door and pushed Yuu inside, he finally looked Kenley in the eye.
'Who's the middle man?'
Kenley pressed her tablet against her chest and smiled. Simon noticed her teeth were bright against her 50's retro styled dark red hair.
'The middle man isn't a man. It's a woman...his mother.'
Waiting outside was Kenley, her PC touch screen tablet in hand.
'What did you find out?'
'The order was issued to Miss Duban almost simultaneously. There is no origin.'
'That can't be right.'
'That's through our contacts. I had a little trouble with who the...Moderator deals with.' Kenley was smart to censor herself around the ADA and Simon was thankful for her quick thinking.
Simon nodded slowly, but was unimpressed. Kenley wasn't as talented at gathering information as Carol was, he thought to himself, and he tried to ignore the ugly pang of despair that sat at the pit of his stomach.
Simon stopped and looked at her as he pushed Yuu into the elevator that was waiting at the end of the hall. 'Contact Carol at Duibne, she'd have...'
'I did that, Mr. Huntington. Miss Hedley has an uncanny ability to dig out a wealth of information. There's only one source that serves as the Moderator's middle man.'
Simon looked away from Kenley at the mention of Carol's ability to serve the clan. He missed her enough to know that it showed on his face and thankfully Kenley had the good graces not to embarrass him by mentioning it. The elevator stopped at the parking garage level of the Domicile. Kenley walked with Simon to the waiting car. As Simon opened the door and pushed Yuu inside, he finally looked Kenley in the eye.
'Who's the middle man?'
Kenley pressed her tablet against her chest and smiled. Simon noticed her teeth were bright against her 50's retro styled dark red hair.
'The middle man isn't a man. It's a woman...his mother.'
Yuu
15 years ago
Yuu stumbled out of the nondescript room and was prepared to put up another fight when they were met by a dark haired woman. Yuu sized the woman up as she begun talking to Simon. She was dressed in retro 50's style; pencil cut skirt, ankle strap black heels, and a crisp mauve colored button up. Her hair was a deep, gorgeous red, and it was perfectly styled in a luxurious wave down the side of her face and over her shoulder.
As they walked, or rather was pulled down the sterile steel decor of the long hallway, Yuu took in as much detail as she could; where she could be and just who Simon really was when the hallway opened up into a larger lobby. Yuu's mouth opened as she marveled at the detailing - the modern furniture and obvious state of the art computer gadgets that were inlaid into the walls. Where there were doors, there were two by two black panels that Yuu assumed were access panels. There was more brushed steel and the air was completely sterile. They passed the lobby and came to the end of the hall to an elevator where Simon absently ran his hand in front of another black panel as he talked to the woman. The elevator opened and he pulled her in.
Simon kept his hand on her arm, but ignored her completely. Yuu bristled and tried to pull her arm away, but barely managed to move it an inch. Annoyed more now than frightened, Yuu listened for details. Part of her was intensely curious as to just who Simon Huntington actually was in Nachton, then there was the other part that kept reminding her that she had been within a heartbeat of being killed and it was this thought that stayed with her as the elevator door opened.
Again Simon pulled her to a waiting car in what appeared to be a parking garage. Jesus, she thought and looked around the large building. She had been in Nachton for over a year and she could still not place where this building could be located. Downtown, outskirts of town...it was completely unfamiliar to her. Her train of thought was interrupted by Simon shoving her into the car and slamming the door. Yuu considered making a run for it, but again, where would she go? So she settled back into her seat.
A few moments passed and then Simon appeared again, sitting behind the wheel.
'Are you going to answer any of my questions?'
Her painfully quiet host ignored her questions, not surprising her at all, and started the car. As he maneuvered the vehicle, Yuu tried again to determine there whereabouts when suddenly the car was steered toward a ramp leading up.
Oh, so they were underground, she deduced. The car kept going up and up until Yuu realized that not only were they underground, they were pretty damn far down. The night broke through the front windshield finally and the car leveled off with a squeal of the tires. Soon it was clear as to where they had been. Craning her neck back, Yuu realized they were in the slaughter district, just outside of Nachton. Something familiar pushed to the forefront of her mind and began to poke at her. What had she heard? Something about the abandoned slaughter houses that were condemned, but never torn down. She had asked why and never really received an answer. The district was to be left untouched.
Yuu looked at Simon and watched him. Finally he looked her with what once were dreamy hazel brown eyes, but were now cold and distant. Everyone wears a face, she decided. A facade that you live and breath until you forget that you were stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it. Yuu realized something that night.
That moment was over.
((Yuu and Simon out))
Continued in Wanna be a rock superstar
As they walked, or rather was pulled down the sterile steel decor of the long hallway, Yuu took in as much detail as she could; where she could be and just who Simon really was when the hallway opened up into a larger lobby. Yuu's mouth opened as she marveled at the detailing - the modern furniture and obvious state of the art computer gadgets that were inlaid into the walls. Where there were doors, there were two by two black panels that Yuu assumed were access panels. There was more brushed steel and the air was completely sterile. They passed the lobby and came to the end of the hall to an elevator where Simon absently ran his hand in front of another black panel as he talked to the woman. The elevator opened and he pulled her in.
Simon kept his hand on her arm, but ignored her completely. Yuu bristled and tried to pull her arm away, but barely managed to move it an inch. Annoyed more now than frightened, Yuu listened for details. Part of her was intensely curious as to just who Simon Huntington actually was in Nachton, then there was the other part that kept reminding her that she had been within a heartbeat of being killed and it was this thought that stayed with her as the elevator door opened.
Again Simon pulled her to a waiting car in what appeared to be a parking garage. Jesus, she thought and looked around the large building. She had been in Nachton for over a year and she could still not place where this building could be located. Downtown, outskirts of town...it was completely unfamiliar to her. Her train of thought was interrupted by Simon shoving her into the car and slamming the door. Yuu considered making a run for it, but again, where would she go? So she settled back into her seat.
A few moments passed and then Simon appeared again, sitting behind the wheel.
'Are you going to answer any of my questions?'
Her painfully quiet host ignored her questions, not surprising her at all, and started the car. As he maneuvered the vehicle, Yuu tried again to determine there whereabouts when suddenly the car was steered toward a ramp leading up.
Oh, so they were underground, she deduced. The car kept going up and up until Yuu realized that not only were they underground, they were pretty damn far down. The night broke through the front windshield finally and the car leveled off with a squeal of the tires. Soon it was clear as to where they had been. Craning her neck back, Yuu realized they were in the slaughter district, just outside of Nachton. Something familiar pushed to the forefront of her mind and began to poke at her. What had she heard? Something about the abandoned slaughter houses that were condemned, but never torn down. She had asked why and never really received an answer. The district was to be left untouched.
Yuu looked at Simon and watched him. Finally he looked her with what once were dreamy hazel brown eyes, but were now cold and distant. Everyone wears a face, she decided. A facade that you live and breath until you forget that you were stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it. Yuu realized something that night.
That moment was over.
((Yuu and Simon out))
Continued in Wanna be a rock superstar