Towards the darkness

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Adrien couldn't believe that this was how it all would end. Just a year ago he had been a handsome boy who was popular and had a promising career. But what was he now? Merely a puppet, a statue who could do nothing on his own. This was not the life he wanted to live. He would much rather die now than let himself be nursed for the rest of his life. He had to save himself from all the humiliation. As he knew that his sister would be more than glad to get rid of him and take over the agency, he still felt somewhat sad that he would die soon. He would miss being what he had been: a powerful leader who had access to everything he could possibly want. A young man, who was not only respected but feared as well. It was painful for him to admit that those days were over, especially since it was not long ago that it had been so. But there was no going back. There was no way for him to go back to the past, to undo the events of that dreadful day when he was fatally wounded. The only thing he could do was to move forward and leave his life behind. He knew that this would be the only way for him to achieve peace, and he hoped that his sister realised that too.

As Adrien was getting more desparate by the minute, so was Ezra in the boot of Muhammad’s van. It was so dark he could barely see anything, which made the whole situation much more confusing. But as he discovered that he was unable to move anything besides his neck, he got more and more panicked with each passing second. As he slowly realised he was in a van, he knew that he was being held captive by one of his enemies, possibly even Muhammad himself. And there was no way for him to run away like the last time. This could very well have been the trip to his death, a fate, that he wasn’t able to escape from since even moving his neck caused him excruciating pain. All he could do now was to wait to find out if his life would soon end or not. He hated being so helpless, so dependant on others to help him. But lately it was like that all the time and it didn’t seem like his situation was going to change, as now his whole fate was in the hands of his enemy.

But what Ezra didn’t know at the moment was that Dane, together with Henry were not far behind them. Separated from each other by only a few miles, it was only a matter of time until they would finally catch up with them. Inside the car, Dane’s nervousness was increasing with each passing minute. It took only one look at his face for Henry to realise how desparate he was to save his best friend. Without saying another word, he increased the speed of the car. Although the spidometer had shown for a while that he had crossed the speed limit, he didn’t really care. „What do you mean by saying that the companies can’t be trusted?“ Dane asked, trying to continue the conversation. „The Wyvern and the Sphinx have both saved my life and the lives of others as well. We can’t win this war without them!“ „You are so naive, even for your age,“ Henry said with a smirk on his face. „Most companies like these are rotten to the core. They have access to a lot of power, and that makes a lot of people go crazy. They have saved your lives for reasons of their own. Sooner or later, they will try to make you their puppets.“ „They can’t be all bad.“ Dane said, confused by what his companion was saying. „Miss Tanen, Ezra’s mom.. there is no way that they are evil. They are some of the best people I have ever known!“ „Perhaps.“ Henry answered, „But a few good people doesn’t really make the whole company good, does it?“ And having said those words he drove even faster.

It didn’t take them much time to get close to Muhammad’s van. After twenty minutes of very fast driving they were just a few minutes away. Henry was stepping on the pedal like crazy, and the exact same word could be used about the speed the car was going with. In just five minutes they passed Muhammad’s van. But before they had the chance to drive any further, they had to stop because of a big black van that was on parked on the road. The enraged Henry got out of the car. „What on Earth do you think you’re doing?!“ he screamed. „I was barely able to stop! Get off the road now!“ The moment after he had said those words a young man wearing a black suit got out of the van. He couldn’t have been much older than 20 years of age. With his right hand he took out a black rifle from the van, and pointed it at Henry. At the same time, Muhammad stopped his van and got out as well. As he noticed Henry, he took out his rifle as well and walked next to him. Looking at what was happening, Dane was getting more confused by the minute. But after a few moments he realised that this could be his only moment to save Ezra. After he had made sure that his handgun was still in his pocket, he sneaked out of Henrys car and quietly went to Muhammad’s van. But before he could open the boot, he felt that something cold was placed next to his neck. „I am sad to inform you, you pathetic fool, that you will not be able to escape with Ezra!“ a soft voice said. After a few moments Dane realised that it was Henry. After a few moments he felt how everything inside him froze. He was in the hands of the enemy. „Now come with me. You are not going anywhere!“ Henry said and dragged him back to his car. But before they made it there, the young man next to the black van opened fire at them. Dane was able to quickly get close to the ground, but Henry wasn’t: in just a few moments he got hit to the chest three times and then fell to the ground hard. As for Muhammad, he was able to wound the shooter himself, but got a few bullets in his legs and his stomach after a few more shooters from the black van opened fire at them. After critically wounding both Muhammad and Henry, the men stopped firing with their guns. The young man in the black suit was wounded and was put in the back of the van. One of the men who had participated in the gun fight was coming towards Dane. Dane felt how his heart was pounding louder and louder with each passing moment. Would this really be how this all would end?

As the man came closer, it became visible that he was wearing a pair of long black boots. His short hair was of the same color, as was the suit he was wearing. When he approached Dane, he smiled and reached out his hand. Not exactly sure if he was an enemy or not, Dane still took the hand he was offered. He knew that he had no other choice but to trust the mysterious stranger, as well as the other men who had participated in the gun fight. „Come with us.“ The man said. His voice was low and gentle. „I am agent Daniels. Me and the other men work with the Wyvern and we were sent to help you. We can take you back to Seattle.“ „Please bring along my friend Ezra too.“ Dane said. „He is in the boot of the white van. He is greatly injured so please be gentle with him.“ Agent Daniels nodded and went to the van. After he had opened the boot, he was shocked by what he saw, as Ezra’s body was not only in a weird position but covered with more blood than it had been before. After a few moments of looking, he took out a phone from his pocket and made a call. He talked quietly for a few minutes and then ended the call. „A van will soon arrive and bring him to the hospital section of one of the Wyvern bases.“ He said after putting the phone back to his pocket. „We will leave in a few minutes.“ Daniels said. „I need to take a quick look at this van.“ He opened the doors of the car and looked inside the vehicle and in all it’s pockets. In one of them, he found two stones attatched to each other and put them inside his pocket. After a few minutes of investigation, he found a couple of rifles a well, which he took with him, as well as the guns that had been used by Henry and Muhammad. He put them in the boot of the black van and then closed it. „I need two agents to drive these two vehicles!“ he said. „We need to examine them more closely in the base.“ Two men, wearing similar black suits as Daniels himself was, went inside the vehicles .After a couple of minutes, a large while van arrived. A couple of men wearing white coats got out of the vehicle, and put the injured Ezra on the carrier. „I want to go with them.“ Dane said to Daniels, as Ezra was being transported inside the white van. „As you wish.“ Daniels said. „We are ready to go! Let's head back to Seattle!“ Then he went to the drivers seat of the black van, and Dane went inside the white van. After a few moments, all the four vehicles drove back towards Seattle, leaving the bodies of Muhammad and Henry lie on the side of the road.

On the way back to their home city, Ezra and Dane didn't speak much. Although there was much to say and discuss, Dane didn't want to exhaust the injured Ezra, as he had noticed that even the smallest movements made him wince. Still, it was clear from his facial expression how much he appreciated that Dane had stayed with him. And although Dane had been quite angry with him lately, he realised that Ezra was still his best friend and one of the most important people in his life. All that had happened, all that had come between them was not worth it to lose their friendship that had lasted for more than ten years. After a few hours of driving, they arrived in the base. As Ezra got transported off the van and Dane went with the white coated men who carried him. The hospital wing was a part of a huge gray building, which in construction reminded Dane of their old school building in Seattle. Both buildings were almost equals in shape and color, only differing in their sizes. Inside it looked like a typical hospital, as the walls, the ceiling, and the floor were all in the same tone of white. „What a minimalistic masterpiece!“ Dane thought to himself. „Miss Tanen would have loved something like this!“ As he thought of his former art teacher and friend, he suddenly felt very sad. Although he hadn't liked her at all in the beginning, he realised now how much he actually missed her. This all had to end, the Hydra had to be stopped once and for all. He was so sick of losing people like that. And he was prepared to do whatever was necessary to prevent that from ever happening again. As he was thinking those thoughts, they passed a hospital room where one of the most hideous people he had ever seen was. It was a girl with no hair and a face that had many burns and scars on it. She wore a straightjacket and was tied to a chair. Dane stopped for a moment and looked inside the room through the glass. „She has the saddest eyes I have ever seen,“ he thought to himself. „Yet they are in some way so similar. Who could she be? Where could I have met her?“ Then the girl who had been blankly looking ahead of her suddenly noticed Dane glaring at her. And in just one moment the very sad expression she had on her face changed to one of extreme joy. Although the girls face could in no way be described as pretty, her smile was still the most beautiful one he had ever seen. And then, he suddenly realised who she was. Sarah! But with that recognition came a knowledge that hit Dane like a big wave on a stormy day: Daniels had lied. This could in no way be the Wyvern base, as the agency would never jeopardize the life of one of their top agents like that, especially now that it had lost so many of its members. It was now clear to him that they were all in danger, whoever these people might have been: Hydra or not. As Dane looked towards the end of the corridor, he saw that the men carrying Ezra were already nearing the end of it. Then he quickly motioned his hands, sending Sarah a message in sign language. Since he hadn't used that language for a long time, he wasn't entirely sure that she understood everything. But as he had managed to sign the words „We will escape this building soon. I will come get you when we are ready to go. Stay put.“, Sarah nodded, which was a sign that she had understood. Dane smiled and then rushed after the medics who were carrying Ezra. After a few moments he was followed by Daniels who had seen everything that had happened and had a very strange smile on his face.

Ezra, who was on the carrier was now heading for the first operation in his life. He had always been scared that he would have to go under the knife at one point and that moment had come much sooner than he had expected. Although he usually wasn't the type of a guy who chickened out, he was very scared of some things, and this was definitely one of them. As his memory had come back, he now remembered everything. As he now knew who Sarah was and what she meant for him, he wished that she was there to support him as he was starting to panic more and more as seconds passed. But as he raised his head for a moment, he noticed Dane rushing towards him and that calmed him down. Dane grabbed his hand and said „You are gonna be OK. I know you will.“ Then he put his face next to Ezras and quietly whispered. „We are going to escape from here. Soon. Be ready!“ „Thanks...“ Ezra said, his voice faint and barely hearable. And as he was brought to the operation room, the panic washed over him again, as his worst nightmare was about to begin. The operation started immediately and after four hours had passed, Dane got the news that Ezras operation had been successful. For the first time during that day he felt somewhat peaceful. But the fact that he was now more than certain they were in the territory of the enemy, he wasn't able to be entirely calm. As he was allowed to see Ezra after another two hours had passed, he knew that this was it. They had to escape from here. As night arrived in Seattle and the moon became visible in the dark blue sky, Dane, who had been staying with Ezra for a few hours, opened the door and looked out. The corridor was empty and totally quiet. Since Ezra had survived an operation and wasn't able to move yet, Dane knew that he had to transport him out of there with the entire hospital bed. This surely was going to be the most risky thing he had ever done. He put a small cabinet in front of the door to keep it open. Then he took off the wires attatched to Ezra who was asleep, and moved the hospital bed. It took him half an hour to get it to the corridor, waking Ezra up in the process. After that, Dane pushed the bed to the big elevator on the other side. After a few minutes, he was on the second floor where Sarah was kept. He left the bed next to the room she was in. The door was locked. „Of course!“ Dane thought to himself. „You can't really expect them to be that stupid, can you?“ Fortunately, he had a piece of wire in his pocket, along with his pocketknife and other valuable objects. Skilled in opening locked doors, he was able to get into the room in just a few minutes. „Where are you going?“ Ezra asked him before he entered the room. „You'll see soon enough.“ Dane whispered and went in. Sarah was asleep and still tied to the chair as she had been before. As Dane quieltly entered the room, she woke up. Dane took out his pocket knife and freed her. Then she carried her out of the room, leaving the door closed as it had been before. „Are you able to walk?“ He quietly whispered to her. „Barely.“ Sarah whispered back. „I have been through hell here as you can see.“ Dane nodded and carried her to the hospital bed, putting her next to Ezra.

As Ezra saw Dane carry Sarah, he wondered who she was. When she was placed next to him, he winced for a moment, as he was truly shocked by what he saw. But the girl next to her, although hideous in appearance, shone like the sun itself. „Why is she looking at me like that?“ Ezra thought to himself, feeling a bit uncomfortable.„Does she know who I am?“ Then Sarah whispered his name and he was finally able to recognize who she was. Sarah! Tears silently flowed on his face as he saw what had happened to her. He was sad and enraged at the same time, both because of what had been done to her and that he wasn't able to get his revenge. But what could he have done in a state like this where he was only able to move his neck? They were both entirely dependant on Dane. And that made him a little scared. He was so used to being saved by big numbers of agents. But where were they now? Where were all the Wyvern agents that were always so quick to come to his rescue? He knew that Dane would not survive should a big group of agents attack them. „We have to hurry!“ Dane whispered, „I am sure the agents are not far away.“ He then pushed the hospital bed which was now heavier than before to the big elevator, and pushed the button that had the number 1 on it. After a few moments, they were on the first floor which had a massive lobby. Dane pushed the bed towards the main entrance which was not far away, only to find it locked once he had made it there. „Are you really that stupid to think that we would let you walk out of here like that?“ a person with a familiar voice said. A few moments after, Daniels stepped out of the shadow, carrying a big rifle. With him were at least a dozen of agents, all of them carrying weapons with them as well. „Now that we have the magnificent trio together, it is time to end this once and for all! For master Adrien!“ „Wow!“ Dane thought to himself, „These Hydra agents just keep on emerging like orcs did in Middle Earth!“ Before the agents were able to start the fire, Dane pushed the hospital bed next to one of the windows nearby and threw a small grenade in front of Daniels and all the agents. The grenade exploded as soon as it hit the ground. The explosion that came from that small explosive was rather large, as it pushed most of the agents against the wall, harming the ones standing behind them as well. Although Dane was quick to act, he was only barely able to escape it himself. As he jumped away from the flames, he hit the glass windows, which partly broke in the process.The pieces of glass injured his face and hands, but did not cause a very big amount of damage. The glass pieces flew by Ezra and Sarah as well, but as Sarah had been able to cover them with the blanket, they did not suffer any more injuries. After a few seconds, the explosion ended. On the other side of the room lied all the Hydra agents with Daniels amongst them in a pool of blood.

Lying against the windows, Dane saw a couple of men outside running into the hospital. One of them had curly red hair and had one of his hands in bandages. It was Roberts. „Get quickly inside!“ he yelled at the men who were with him. „They are all injured and need our help!“ One of the men shot at the windows from the other side of Dane. As he had made a hole that was large enough, all of them entered the building. Two of the men went straight to Dane and carried him inside a blue van. Three of them cleaned the blanket of the hospital bed of the glass pieces that were on it, carried the bed outside, and put it into a large black van that was parked next to the blue one. Roberts stayed inside for a few minutes, examining the bodies of the agents that lied on the floor. „Ah Daniels...“ he sighed, looking at the dead body of his former friend. „If only you had gone the other way, we would both still be alive today!“ „Still...“ he added while he was slowly bowing down, „At least I can collect the artifacts...“ But as he checked his pockets, he found that they were empty. The vans drove away about thirty minutes later. In the black van, Ezra found still hard to be calm. With his beloved Sarah now with him, he still could not stop worrying. All he was thinking of were the stones. What had happened to them? „Where are the artifacts?“ he quietly asked from Roberts who was sitting next to him. „Don't worry, I have them with me.“ Roberts lied. „I was able to collect them from Daniels's body.“ But although he said those words with the most convincing smile, Ezra found it hard to believe him. Something was wrong here.

At the same time Cassidy Walden ended a phone call in the other side of the Hydra base. A few moments later, she was approached by an agent with short blonde hair, who handed her two stones that were attatched to each other. She smiled widely. „Two of the artifacts in my possession..“ she said and took a closer look at the stones. „Even my brilliant brother couldn't have pulled this one off...“ She looked at Adrien who was still lying on the bed, his eyes fixed on his sister. Cassidy then put the stones in her pocket. „Everyone, go outside.“ she said in a demanding tone. „I need some private time with my brother.“ As everyone went outside, she sat next to Adriend and took his hand. „My dear Adrien..“ she said, her wide, sincere smile slowly changing into a crooked one. „You mean more to me than you'll ever know.“ She caressed his forehead and continued. „You have asked me to fulfill your latest wish.“ As she said those words, Adrien smiled at her. Cassidy then let go of his hand and stoop up. „But you see, I cannot.“ she said. „I cannot kill my own brother.“ „What are you saying?“ Adrien said, a very confused and worried look on his face. „I will leave you in the care of a few nurses, who will provide everything you can possibly need for you. They will take care of you as long as you live.“ she said with an evil smile on her face. The sweet tone her voice had had before was now more dark and sinister. „And believe me, I will make sure that your life lasts as long as possible! Yes, I will make your most dreaded nightmare come true, and make you wish you were never born!“ She then went to the windows and watched as the blue and black van drove away from the base. „Looks like I've got work to do!“ she said with again with a light tone, „It is my first day as the president of this company!“ She then headed towards the door, but stopped before opening it and took one last look at her brother. „Oh and Adrien.“ she said, „Don't be mad at me! You are after all all the family I have left!“ Cassidy then laughed a similar laughter as the one his brother had had and left the room, leaving the anguished Adrien behind. „Cassidy!!“ he screamed at the top of his lungs, sounding as powerful as he had before for one last time. „Cassidy Walden, you will pay for this! CASSIDY!!!“