Contract 3.C

Christine woke up slowly, groaning as her head lolled against her chest. She grimaced. Her face was absolutely throbbing in pain, particularly the area around her eye and her head pounded with the beat of her heart.

Her memory came back to her quickly, and with it so too did the horror. Her head shot up, strands of blond hair covering her eyes as she looked around at the place she now found herself in.

It was a concrete room, completely bare apart from the colorful graffiti of the Empire logo on one of the walls. There were no windows and no lights, and the only way she could see was due to the light creeping in from the improperly fitted wooden door nearby, yellowish rays shining through the large gaps in the frame.

She had been in places like this before, and could recognize it for what it was, an E88 storehouse. She looked down at herself, taking in the large, heavy chains that had been wrapped around her body, tying her to the chair she was sitting in, and she realized exactly what had happened.

With that realization came a massive influx of heart-stopping panic. She struggled against her binds fruitlessly, trying to slip out of the solid metal that was keeping her bound.

“HEEEEY! IS ANYONE OUT THERE!? LET ME OUT! PLEASE!” She screamed. Her voice echoed off the stone walls around her, bouncing around the room and making her ears ring from the sheer volume of it.

Justin had no doubt brought her here after she had knocked herself unconscious. Her cousin was probably just in the other room,, waiting for her to wake up so he could tell her exactly what was going to happen to her,

 “JUSTIN! LET ME OUT! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME CHAINED UP IN HERE! LET ME OUT!” She screamed, “JUSTIN! I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!”

There was no response to her angry and lightly desperate pleas, and Christine was beginning to worry that her cousin wasn’t even there at all. Had he just dropped her here and left her as he went off and did, who knows what? Completely abandoning her in this dark room with no regard to her wellbeing?

No. No, Justin wasn’t an idiot. His leader clearly had plans for her and doing that would completely contrast both that and his earlier words to her. She wasn’t alone. Someone was out there without a doubt.

Revitalized by this realization, she didn't give up. She continued to thrash and scream at the top of her lungs until her throat felt hoarse and her head began to throb with a migraine, and even then she didn’t stop. A stubbornness welled up with her, born from years of unhappiness and anger, and suddenly she was determined to make sure that even if her cousin wasn’t actually present out there, whoever was would hear her.

Apparently, she succeeded. And mere minutes after she started her outburst, the door to the room slammed open, causing her to jerk in alarm. A massive man stomped in, his shirtless chest rumbling with his growls, “SHUT THE FUCK UP! I can barely hear myself think with all of your goddamn whining!”

Christine stared at the man in horror as he walked towards her, silhouetted by the light glaring in from just outside the room. His bare chest was covered in hair and on his face was a snarling metal wolf mask.

“Are you done with your little outburst?” Hookwolf asked her angrily as he strode forward into the room, fists clenched at his sides, “Cause if not, I'm more than willing to knock you out again.”

“...You aren’t Justin.” Christine stared as the harsh lines of the metal mask on his face seemed to glare at her, “Where is he?”

“Crusader hasn't come back here since he dropped your ass off and chained you to that chair.” He commented, “He's reporting to the boss and told me to keep an eye on you. Don’t know why, it’s not like anyone’s coming to save you.”

He looked down at her, “You know, I don’t understand what it is with you people. You have the perfect life, a wonderful Aryan family and friends, the opportunity to gain power within the organization, and even your pick of the litter when it comes to suitors.” He spat in disgust, “And still you throw it all away for some dyke bitch who would have been better off drowning in the trunk of that car. Fucking disgusting.

Christie grit her teeth at his words, fear giving way to anger, “She'll be back for me.”

Hookwolf reached up, and Christine watched in surprise as he removed his mask. His shaggy blond hair fell around his face with the sudden lack of metal to hold it up, and Hookwolf shook it out of his face, staring down at her with piercing blue eyes.

“Your little dyke girlfriend won't save you.” He said, clipping the mask to his belt, “She's an hour away and has no clue what's going on. And we're gonna keep it that way.”

Christine scowled, “Valerie will get me out of here! The moment she sees I'm not responding to her, she'll be back in the city and find out what happened, and then she'll kick your ass!” Christine screamed in the man's face, jerking against her chains.

Hookwolf chuckled, leaning in close enough that Christine could feel his hot breath on her face, “I doubt that. See, your little friend’s days are already numbered. She won't last a week after she gets back to the city, I'll make sure of it.”

Christine scowled at him, resolving not to show any fear in the face of his intimidation, “Kaiser won't let you.” She said with certainty, “He wants Valerie to join the Empire, he won't let you hurt her.”

To her surprise, Hookwolf actually threw his head back and laughed at her remark, “Ha! And how the hell would you know what Kaiser wants? You were barely a member of the gang to begin with, and I know you didn't hang around Justin enough to get anything from him.”

He smiled down at her, all sharp teeth and malice, “No, Kaiser's done with that little deal he made with the girl's parents. As of last week, she's free reign and in fact, he wants her gone.” He chuckled, spreading his arms wide, “And guess who gets the pleasure of doing the deed?”

Christine felt her heart sink and she stared at the cape in horror, “No, why would he… There's no way he told you to kill her!”

“Oh but he did.” Hookwolf said, “Kaiser decided that since I was the one responsible for her in the first place, I'm going to be the one to fix it. As it stands, Becker is nothing but a massive black mark on our record with the boys back home. And there's nothing the boss hates more than looking bad in their eyes.’

He leaned in close enough that Christine could see the individual hairs on his scruffy beard, “I'm going to tear her little ass apart. By the time I'm done with her, that entire little group of hers is going to know better than to stay in our city.” Hookwolf promised before leaning back and letting go of her chains.

“Too bad you won't be around to see it.” He lamented as he put his mask back on, “Though I will admit, I'm looking forward to seeing what they cook up for you back in Europe. Dorothy and Geoff may be freaks, but they're strong freaks and we could use more of those on our side.”

“And hey, look at it this way,” He said, making his way to the exit, “At least you don't have to worry about goodbyes!” Hookwolf laughed, slamming the door closed behind him, plunging her into darkness once more.

Christine stared at the closed door in horror, mind replaying what he had told her. She began breathing harshly as her anger mounted, and son exploded.

She thrashed and bucked, the chair she was sitting in wobbling from side to side and threatening to topple over as she screamed at the top of her lungs for everyone to hear, letting out all of the sorrow and anger that had been building up for years.

Despite the racket she was making, Hookwolf did not make a reappearance nor did anyone else who may have been in the building. Eventually, her screams turned into sobs and her thrashing morphed into fitful jerks as she exhausted herself both physically and mentally until finally, she stopped completely.

She stared into the darkness with a numb expression even as tears trailed down her cheeks. Her chest heaved from her outburst and her head hurt like hell, but it did nothing to distract from the horrific thoughts that whirled through her mind over and over again like a song on repeat.

All of her earlier bravado was completely gone, leaving her drained and feeling more hopeless than she could ever recall feeling. Hookwolf's words echoed in her mind, about how she was going to be taken out of the city and shuttled off to who knows where.

She would never see Valerie again, would probably never be free again, completely at the mercy of this organization that she hated so much. Her parents had sent her to this fate willingly, not caring at all for the girl that they had raised for nearly twenty years.

The idea of escaping was laughable, even if she got out of the chains, Hookwolf was right there along with who knows who else. She was completely and utterly screwed.

She was going to be sent away and when Valerie came back to the Bay and found out what happened to her, she would want revenge. Christine knew how her friend could be when it came to those she cared about, and she had no doubt that the moment she found out what happened, she would head straight to the one responsible. Straight to her death.

The realization that she was stuck here with no hope of escape, trapped in this fate that she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy while her friend would be practically marching to her demise was too much to bear. Her future was completely unknown and yet so unbearably bleak that the panic welling up inside of her reached a feverish pitch, filling her entire being to the point of bursting.

Something broke.

DESTINATION

AGREEMENT

TRAJECTORY

AGREEMENT

Christine's eyes snapped open the instant she regained consciousness. The chains around her body dug into her skin as she breathed deeply, looking every which way as she tried to figure out what had just happened to her. The panic that had been filling her had dissipated, replaced with a careful numbness that a large part of Cristine knew shouldn't be there.

She ignored it, using the fresh state of mind to observe her surroundings as she analyzed the world around her in hopes to understand what just occurred.

The first thing she noticed was that the world around her had changed, the darkness dissipating as it gave way to light emanating from… her head? Christine’s eyes caught a strand of hair as it floated upward past her face. The once blonde strand was glowing bright white, swaying in through the air as it joined the rest of its fellows up above, lighting up the world around her.

As she brought her head up to follow the strand, she realized something. What she had been mistaking for simple darkness was anything but. Her eyes darted around as she tried to figure out what was so different, and it only took her looking at the painted wall beside the door to realize what it was.

The graffiti that had been painted on the wall had completely faded to her sight, the vibrant colors shifting to black and white along with the rest of the world. Despite this however, Christine could still tell exactly what tones and shades made up the paint, impressions of colors passing through her mind as she stared at the art.

The longer that she focused on it, the more out of her depth she felt, and so she moved on to something that had been sitting at the edge of her senses. She could feel… things, points in space around her, beacons in the sea of faded grey that reached out to her senses as if beckoning her closer.

She focused on one of the points, wondering what they could be, and as she did, her body began to tingle. The color of the world around her shifted and darkened as the black and white became shades of pale blue and then darkened into navy, eventually settling on that color.

The point she had focused on sang out to her senses and she was filled with a nostalgic feeling that she hadn't experienced in several years, and it took her only a moment to place it.

“That's…that's Valerie's house isn't it?” she spoke numbly, staring into space.

The longer she stared at it, the more she was certain. What she was feeling right now were things that she had hoped to feel again since she and Valerie had stopped speaking, this warmth and comfort that only came from that place that she often escaped to in her childhood.

Except… that place no longer existed, did it? It hadn't since that day just a few months ago. Since two of the people who had made it what it was were snuffed out by the very man keeping her here.

As she stared at the point, the tingling inside of her body reached its height, buzzing wildly as if waiting for some unseen command from her. Instinctually, Christine knew that if she wished, she could reach that beacon in just a few seconds, and it was here that she realized what had happened to her.

She'd triggered, hadn't she? She had powers now, and somehow, she could feel a house she hadn't been inside of for years and more importantly, she could be there in an instant if she wanted.

Prior despair overwhelmed by curiosity, she moved onto the next point, her vision fading back to monochrome once more until she began to focus on it. This one was much closer and turned her vision a much paler shade of blue than the other one. Like before, she got an intense sensation from the point, happy memories and a constantly full stomach and it only took a moment to place the location, Fugly Bob’s.

On and on it went, Christine recognizing the locations held within the sea of stars around her. She found her bedroom, the library she often escaped to when Trevor and Hailey were being too much, the seldom-used supply closet at Winslow, the park with the rusted swing-set, even the movie theater where she and Valerie had gotten a little to scared at a horror flick and wouldn’t let go of each other for nearly forty-five minutes.

The more that she examined them, the more she was beginning to sense a theme, one that filled her with a tentative hope. She looked around, focusing on the furthest point she could see. All of the other beacons seemed to have one thing in common, they were places that she felt safe or remembered fondly. Following that theme, and with a silent plea to whoever was listening, she searched for something specific. Someone specific.

And after just a moment, she found it, and immediately hope welled within her, surging and more powerful than anything she had felt.

She could feel Valerie an entire city away, singing out to her, calling her to her. She reached out, brushing her senses against the beacon, and she nearly whimpered as her entire body was filled with an intense sensation of safety, so far removed from what she had been feeling so far.

With invisible fingers, she latched onto it, wanting nothing more than to feel more of that sensation, to be there with her.

“!” She gasped, eyes widening as the tingling in her body grew into a buzzing that radiated throughout her entire being. What she had been feeling earlier was nothing compared to what she was feeling now, and all at once the colors of the room deepened to their darkest, settling on a purple so dark it was almost black.

The entire room was lit up by the glow coming from her hair as it intensified, growing brighter as her power grew closer and closer to her friend and the salvation that she would bring. Christine could feel herself stretching thin, as if she was running out of whatever energy was filling her, but she didn't stop. She was nearly there. She could feel it, just a little longer!

The door to the room suddenly slammed open even harder than it had before, nearly breaking off of its hinges as Hookwolf burst inside, snarling like his namesake. His eyes locked onto her and he immediately recognized what was going on, “I thought so! The stupid bitch triggered!”

He stomped forward angrily as Christine focused on her power and what it was doing. The glow coming from her hair was almost blinding, and if it weren't for the purple that was completely filling her vision, Christine was sure that it would be extremely uncomfortable to her. Whatever was happening was almost complete though, and soon she would be safely away from this horrible place. Just a few more seconds.

Hookwolf eyes widened as he realized what was happening, some well-honed instinct allowing him to realize the true nature of her power.

“Oh no you don't bitch!” Hookwolf snarled as he surged forward. His skin burst apart at the seams, dozens of spinning blades and hooks lunging towards Christine with seeming intent to tear her apart. Someone just outside the doorway shouted, but he ignored them as he yelled at her, “You're not going anywhere!”

Christine stared at her possible death or dismemberment approaching with fear, and just before he reached her, the light emanating from her hair peaked, and the tendrils that her power was reaching out latched on. Her body filled with burning energy that sang within her every pore, crying out to her and just before the blades sank into her skin, she disappeared.

Hookwolf slowed to a stop, staring at the chair that the girl used to occupy. The chains that had been wrapped around her fell to the floor with a loud clang, falling through the floating wisps of purple that were dissipating even now.

As he stared at it, an angry vein popped on his forehead and his chest began heaving with angry breaths. “GODDAMNIT!” He reared back his head, roaring to the heavens as he realized the magnitude of this fuckup. Kaiser would not be happy about this. Not one bit.

He stomped his way out of the room, shoving an unsuspecting grunt out of the way as he pulled out his phone to call Kaiser. Maybe they'd be able to salvage the situation somehow.

Christine’s entire body felt like it was being squeezed through a toothpaste tube as her power took her to her destination. Purple, deep and strangely beautiful, was all that she could see even within her mind as she soared through the ether. She was pulled in every direction, as if her body had suddenly become elastic and was being stretched to its limits.

Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, that she was going to break under the strain, it stopped and she was free of the place that she had found herself in.

She reappeared in the real world and immediately fell a short distance into something soft and pillowy, immediately curling into a ball as the burning purple in her vision began to fade. She slowly regained her bearings, opening her eyes to soft light and softer sheets on the apparent bed she had landed on.

She sat up slowly, looking around at the unfamiliar location. She was in what looked like a bedroom, with dark wooden floors and a dresser in the corner. Her head shot up at a gasp and she froze as her eyes locked onto the owner of the bedroom, staring at her with wide eyes.

It was Valerie. Her best friend was frozen with her fists raised in a defensive posture. Her entire body apart from her head was made of the same dark wood as the floor and her face was set into an expression of shock as she stared at Christine curled up on the bed.

Numerous feelings welled up inside of her as she looked up at the other girl but one rang out above all others. Relief.

Christine stared at her best friend, unable to stop the fresh wave of tears that escaped her eyes, “Valerie…” She whispered, not noticing the new, ethereal tone to her voice, “I found you…”

As she bolted from the bed and slammed into the girl, Christine couldn't stop the sobs from escaping her mouth as all the earlier panic and horror she was feeling just a few minutes ago suddenly came back, a tidal wave of emotions slamming into her all at once. She buried herself deeper into Valerie's costume, clutching at her desperately.

She was safe.