FanFiction_TheChild

    Darien Fawkes and Bobby Hobbes walked into the Official's office.
    "Sit down, boys," the Official said.
    Darien and Hobbes sat down in two chairs that were in front of the
Official's desk. They looked at their boss.
    The Official sat behind his desk wearing a black suit with a white shirt
and a black tie. Behind him was the seal for the Department of Weights and
Measures. To his left was his secretary/accountant, Albert Eberts, who was
dressed similarly to the Official.
    Hobbes was dressed in a cream-colored suit with a white shirt and no tie.
    Darien was dressed casually in stone-washed bluejeans, a white t-shirt,
and a brown leather jacket. On his feet were a pair of white sneakers. In his
left hand were a pair of sunglasses that covered the fronts, sides, tops, and
bottoms of his eyes when he wore them.
    "So," Darien asked, taking off his glasses. "Who are we supposed to save
the world from this time?"
    "Eberts," the Official turned to his secretary.
    Eberts handed each agent a file and said, "Stark and Arnoud have formed a
very tenuous alliance. We believe that they are going to pool their resourses
and make some kind of move against us."
    "Now what would have given you that idea, Eberts?" Bobby asked.
    "The fact that our intelligence has given us the information, Robert."
    "I was being sarcastic, Eberts. Jeez. The man can't even tell when
someone is being sarcastic," Bobby said, first to Eberts and then to Darien.
    Eberts began to reply, but the Official cut in. "Shut up, Eberts," he
said.
    Darien rolled his eyes, sighed, and read the file that Eberts had given
him.
    "Wait a minute," he said. "We have to rescue Alex Monroe and a bunch of
kids from these guys?"
    "Yeah," Hobbes chimed in. "Why can't Monroe rescue herself? Did she go in
half-cocked again?"
    Neither the Official nor Eberts replied. Darien and Hobbes looked at each
other, got up, and went to see Claire, Darien's Keeper, before leaving on
their new mission.

quicksilver

    "Are we just going to sit here? What are we supposed to be waiting for? I
hate waiting." Arnoud de Fen asked angrily as he paced back and forth in the
main cabin of one of Chrysalis's training camps. "And when are you going to
fix my little problem?"
    Stark, the leader of Chrysalis, sighed impatiently. Arnoud had been
behaving this way since Alex Monroe had been caught trying to rescue the four
teenagers that Chrysalis had kidnapped.
    "Look," Stark said. "We are waiting for news of our alliance to reach
Fawkes's ears. Once that happens, he and, most likely, that idiot partner of
his, Robert Hobbes, will make one of their little hero attempts at rescuing
their imprisoned collegue. From there it will merely be a question of when to
kill them and what to use." As an afterthought he added in a patronizing
tone, "As for your little problem, it will be dealt with as soon as Fawkes is
out of the picture and if you keep up your part of the deal. Will that make
you happy?"
    "Yes," Arnoud growled. "That will make me very happy."

quicksilver

    Deep in the bowels of the camp, Alex Monroe and four teenagers sat untied
in a room with no windows and no visible door. Alex had been in the room for
only a few hours while the teens had been there for several days.
    At the same time that Stark was outlining his plan to Arnoud and that
Darien and Hobbes were entering the Chrysalis training camp, Alex finally
gave up trying to find a way out and sat down next to the kids. She tried to
start a conversation y introducing herself.
    One of the four, a boy names Justin Sykes, introduced himself and the
other three.
    "These two," he said, pointing to a dark-skinned, black-haired boy and a
fair-skinned, red-haired girl, "are Marcus Wilks and Charlotte Matthews.
Before you say anything, they like each other they just don't admit it to
anyone including themselves."
    "And this beautiful creature beside me," Justin added with a flourish,
turning to a fair-skinned, blonde-haired, silver-eyed girl who was staring
off into space as though focusing on something no one else could see, "is my
wonderful girlfriend Brianna Fawkes. Just don't think about anything you
don't want anyone else to know because she has some interesting ways of
finding out." Justin then grinned and winked cryptically at the small space
in between Alex and Brianna. "Not sure what she's up to right now, though."
    Brianna didn't move for a few more minutes and then she blinked once and
got to her feet.
    Alex looked Brianna and asked, "How do you spell your last name?"
    Without turning, Brianna answered, "F-A-W-K-E-S. Do you want to know why?"
    "Sure," Alex replied.
    As Brianna began her tale, Darien and Hobbes closed in on the teens's
location. They didn't realize that they were being followed by Stark, his
men, and Arnoud.
    "My parents died when I was three and I wound up on the streets at three
and a half because no one in my family wanted me," she began.
    "I'm sorry to hear that," Alex said.
    Darien and Bobby got to the room the prisoners were in just as Alex
apologized to Brianna. Darien quicksilvered his partner and himself, figured
out the lock on the door, opened it, and he and Bobby entered the room. The
door closed and locked behind them.
    The room's inhabitants glanced up at the sound of the door, saw no one,
and turned their attention back to Brianna when the door closed.
    "Anyway," she continued. "A little less than six months went by and a guy
showed up. Walking down the street with everyone else, I mean. He saw me and
we talked for a few minutes. Then he left after promising me that he'd be
back. On my fourth birthday, he showed up just like he said. Only the
interesting thing was that he had adoption papers in his hands.
    "Needless to say, I became his daughter. The happiest time of my life was
when I lived with him. He taught me everything he knew and made me promise
never to use it unless I absolutely had to. Which is a promise I have kept.
When he found out about me, he didn't ditch me. If anything, he became more
protective of me than he already was.
    "When I was 13, three people showed up, told him that because of his
criminal record he was not fit to be a father or to care for a child, and
they took me away. I fought every attempt they made to place me with other
families. When they finally gave up, I fought to become an emancipated minor;
and, at age 14, I won my case. I have been on my own ever since.
    "One thing I am pretty sure of is that he forgot about me. I mean, it has
only been six years since we last saw each other. He and my uncle Kevin have
probably moved on with their lives and forgotten about me by now," she
finished.
    "What was his first name? And was his brother a scientist?" Alex asked.
    "Why do you want to know?" Brianna asked suspicously.
    "Because I might know him. That's why," Alex replied, a hint of annoyance
in her voice.
    "His first name was Darien. And yes, his brother was a scientist." After
a moment, Brianna asked, "Do you know him?" There was a glimmer of hope in
her eyes.
    Darien couldn't stand it any longer. Here was the little girl he had
adopted so long ago. Not only was she still alive and well, she had grown
into a beautiful young woman! He grinned.
    Before Alex could reply to Brianna's question, Darien spoke up.
    "Yes, she does know him. And he happens to be standing right behind you,
Bri."
    Brianna turned around and her friends looked around, but the only people
they could see were each other and Alex.
    Alex rolled her eyes.
    "Shed the quicksilver, Fawkes. And, by the way, where's Hobbes?"
    "He's over by the door," Darien asked. "Aren't you glad to see us,
Monroe?"
    "I'd be happier if you two had a plan to get us out of here." Alex
replied. "And I can't see you."
    Darien shed the quicksilver at the same time that the quicksilver he had
covered Hobbes with flaked off.
    "Is that better?" he asked.
    "Much better," Brianna stated with a smile. "I missed you so much,
Darien. And when I find the person who killed Uncle Kevin, I am going to turn
him or her into human-burgers." She added this last with fire dancing
hungrily in her silver eyes.
    Darien looked at Monroe, Hobbes, Brianna, and her friends. He had a
worried expression on his face.
    "I didn't have a plan before, but I do now." He turned to Brianna. "Any
ideas, Bri?"
    Before Brianna could respond, the door opened and in walked Stark, his
men, and Arnoud.
    "I see you have found our guests, Fawkes. Now it is time for you to die
along with them," Stark said.
    "I don't think so," Brianna said calmly. "There is one thing that you
don't know about me. One very deadly thing. What part of this camp is the
most incindiary? Don't tell me. I already know. I am also extremely upset
right now. So guess what? I am going to get even with you. And I am not going
to tell you how. So don't even think about asking." She giggled and looked at
Darien.
    Darien saw a look in her eyes that he recognized from before she had been
taken away from him. The look told him that the entire camp, including the
room where they all were, was about to become hotter than a blast furnace.
    "Aw, crap," he said.
    "What? What's wrong, Fawkes?" Bobby asked.
    "Oh, nothing," Darien replied. "We are all just going to be turned into
really crispy bacon here in a few minutes, that's all."
    He turned to Brianna.
    "You aren't going to kill us all, are you Bri?" he asked.
    Brianna looked at Darien serenely. He could see that she was almost to
the exploding point. She smiled.
    "I won't try to, but I am not sure that I can control something as big as
this is going to be," her face was a cross between an apology and joy.
    She turned back to Stark.
    "Get ready, Starkie," she said.
    Closing her eyes, Brianna appeared completely relaxed. Just a few seconds
later, a boom sounded from the other side of camp and everyone in the room
but Brianna jumped.
    Darien let out a quiet moan. "Bri..." He barely got her name out when
another explosion wracked the camp. "Um, Bri," It was more of a statement
this time.
    The group from Chrysalis looked from each other, to Darien, to Brianna.
    "Just what is the meaning of this?" Stark demanded.
    Darien turned to stare at him. "You figure it out."
    Bobby stared at Brianna Fawkes. "Oh, my gosh! Fawkes, why didn't you tell
me that you have a kid who can start her own Bar-B-Q?"
    Once all of the other buildings had been destroyed and the campsite was
blazing out of control, she returned her attention to Stark and his cohorts.
    "Now it's your turn," she declared gleefully.
    She didn't close her eyes this time. Instead she looked at the ceiling
and the building above them exploded with so much force that the room they
were all in shook and the door blew apart.
    Stark's men began to run, but Stark called them back.
    Darien quicksilvered his eyes and saw Arnoud backing out the door. He
turned to Brianna.
    "Torch the hallway and the door with as much force as you can," he told
her.
    Brianna looked at the door and at the hallway beyond it. She closed her
eyes again and every hallway that had not already burst into searing hot
flames suddenly exploded with them. Arnoud was forced back into the doorway.
As soon as he got to the door, Brianna opened her eyes and glared directly at
him, almost as though she could see him. Just as quickly and suddenly as the
hallways had gone up in flame, flames exploded on the doorframe, engulfing it
and Arnoud.
    Once that was done, she returned her attention to Stark and his men. She
smiled.
    "What are you thinking now, Starkie-warkie?" she asked playfully.
    "I believe I may have made a mistake when I captured you." Then he added,
"You are more powerful than I thought. Next time..."
    "There won't be a next time, Stark," Brianna declared angrily. "If anyone
ever tries this kind of thing ever again, I am afraid that they will lose
people like crazy and will eventually perish themselves. Have I made myself
perfectly clear?"
    "Yes," Stark replied. "Crystal clear."
    "Good," Brianna said.
    She turned to Alex, Darien, Hobbes, and her friends.
    "Let's get out of here," she said.
    Stark and his men remained in the room as Brianna and the others left.
When they were all clear of the room, Brianna turned around and expended the
remaining mental fire at it with Stark and his men still inside.
    When they got back to the surface, they got in Hobbes's van and headed
back to the Agency.

quicksilver

    By the time they got back to the Agency, Brianna, exhausted from what she
had done, had fallen asleep on Darien's lap. Justin had called shotgun when
they had gotten to the van, allowing Darien to sit with Brianna.
    When Hobbes stopped the van, Darien shook Brianna, but she just turned
over. So Darien got out of the van with her in his arms and carried her into
the building.
    Bobby said, "Hey, Fawkes. Take her down to the Keeper and lay her down
somewhere so she can sleep. Then get your shot. Me and Monroe will fill in
the Official and Eberts.
    Darien started to protest, but Bobby cut him off with a glance.
    So Darien headed down to the Keep to see Claire, get a shot, and put
Brianna down; and Bobby, Alex, Justin, Marcus, and Charlotte went to Room 202
to talk to Eberts and the Official.

quicksilver

    The Official, Eberts, Alex, Bobby, and Brianna's friends went down to the
Keep. They walked in just as Darien sat down to get his shot.
    "Good job, Fawkes," the Official stated. "You boys managed to not only
rescue Agent Monroe and the four teenagers, you also managed to completely
destroy the entire Chrysalis training camp."
    Darien ignored his boss until he had gotten his shot and was no longer in
danger of going Quicksilver Mad. Then he looked at the Official.
    "We were not the ones who destroyed the training camp, and the only
reason we got out of there alive is because Brianna torched the place solely
with her willpower. We didn't do anything. My foster daughter did
everything," he declared with a trace of anger in his voice.
    The Official looked at Darien and said, "Where is she then? She can work
with you and for us. Imagine all the cases we could solve with her help, and
imagine all the funding we will recieve from it." He smiled.
    "I don't think I want to work for you. It is obvious as to why Darien
works for you. You keep him sane. But what would you use on me? Threaten to
not give him the shots he needs? I'm afraid that if you do that not only will
you upset him and his partner, you will royally tick me off and I will be
compelled to do something about it. Something you won't like in the least."
    The Official turned around, startled. Brianna Fawkes was standing behind
him. From the look of her, the Official found it hard to believe that she had
been the one who had destroyed the camp. He thought she looked too innocent
to do what Darien said that she had done.
    Brianna laughed. She had heard the Official's thought about her and had
found it very funny. Her laughter sounded like crystal bells. Darien smiled
at the sound.
    Brianna covered her mouth to stifle the laugh, but she could not stifle
the laughter in her bright silver eyes. "I'm sorry. It's just that what you
were thinking just now. I thought it was funny. I haven't been as innocent as
you think I am since my birth parents were killed when I was three years old.
Ask Darien if you don't believe me." She said this solemnly, but her silver
eyes sparkled with hidden laughter.
    "Look, if you let me live where I want, do what I want when I want, and
you don't try to force me to work for you, I will. But the minute that I
think you are trying to force me to work, I will get what I want from here,
make sure no one is in the building, and I will torch it. OK?" She said this
as though she was telling someone the time or describing the weather.
    The Official looked at everyone in the room. He turned his attention to
Darien and then back to Brianna.
    Justin suddenly spoke up.
    "I would agree to anything she says, if I were you. She has a habit of
getting what she wants anyway. If you don't want my opinion, ask the guy who
adopted her. He has known her longer."
    Darien agreed with what Justin told the Official.
    The Official turned to Brianna and said, "Welcome to the Agency."

Thanks for posting this.
FawkesyChic
e-mail: [email protected]