A STUDY IN BLACK ✓

XXIV

Josh sprinted down the hall, hearing Tyler right on his heels. He managed to avoid not tripping on anything while running for his life, the cut in his thigh that Tyler made with a shard of glass bleeding profusely.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

Whatever Gerard said over the intercom seemed to turn him into the Winter Soldier, because Tyler definitely wasn't Tyler anymore.

Eventually, Josh ran out of hall to run down and began to panic. He screeched to a stop and instinctively ducked, narrowly missing being impaled by a glass shard. Tyler's swipe at the air followed Josh to the ground, grazing his bicep as Josh rolled away and made it to his feet to start running again.

Tyler grabbed the back of Josh's shirt, tearing it, and yanked him back. He pressed the shard to Josh's throat, but Josh managed to twist Tyler's wrist and make him drop the glass.

"Tyler, stop!" Josh yelled.

Hearing his name stunned him long enough for Josh to punch him out cold. Tyler's head whipped back, and his body crumpled to the floor.

Josh took a deep breath, his legs burning from the excessive running. Usually when the scientists had him sparring with others, Josh barely broke a sweat. But Tyler was stronger, faster, and a hell of a lot scarier when he was actively trying to kill Josh.

"Oh, no." He felt the familiar sting of a dart sticking to the back of his arm. His legs gave out from underneath him and as he fell unconscious.

When he woke up, he was met with the blinding light of a lamp hovering above his face. His wrists and ankles were tied down to an operating chair, the seat reclined at an angle. There were straps across his chest, waist, and just below his knees.

"Congratulations," a voice said from behind him.

Josh strained to move his head in an attempt to locate the person speaking, but a strap tightened around his neck, firm enough to keep him pinned but loose enough for him to breathe.

"You survived an attack from one of the deadliest mercenaries on the planet."

The voice was of a woman's, soft and familiar. He couldn't tell where she was standing, but it he had to guess, it was directly in front of him, hidden in the shadows. Josh scowled in that direction, hearing a soft chuckle and confirming her position.

After another futile tug at his restraints, Josh settled back into the table and stared blankly ahead. "Who the hell are you?"

"What, don't recognize my voice?"

"I swear to God, the next person who sounds surprised that I don't remember them is going to get something much worse than memory loss."

The woman laughed sharply. "I kid, Joshua. I wouldn't expect you to remember. They made sure you didn't."

"I've had enough with this cryptic bullshit," Josh growled, trying to lift his head again. "I have been in this masochistic hell hole for God knows how long now, and instead of being upfront about why the hell I'm here, all you cultists have done is torture me like the freaks you are. If you think a couple of pills and needles and injecting me with glowing shit is going to turn me, then you're way fucking wrong, lady."

When he paused to take a breath, the woman spoke.

"Spare me the meager threats, Lieutenant. I have more pressing matters to deal with than a bratty veteran who shows such disrespect to his commanding officer."

"What the hell do you mean commanding-" Josh choked on air. "Oh my god. You're her."

Hayley Kiyoko stepped into the light.

Her hair was still strawberry blonde like in the picture he'd seen and it fell loose around her face, but her eyes were green instead of brown. She was dressed in a black and white pinstripe suit, and she held a remote in one hand and a wig in the other.

"One thing you should know when you're tracking someone- hide in plain sight."

She tossed the wig on the table beside Josh. He was able to turn his head enough to see the curly grey wig out of the corner of his eye. Josh's eyes narrowed.

"You were the old lady in the diner that day."

"Not just her," Hayley laughed. Suddenly, her flat accent turned German. "You're quite handsome for such a young veteran."

Josh blinked. "What the fuck?"

"I'm sure I pulled off Jenna quite well, too. It's hard to pretend to be someone pretending to be someone, especially when that someone is a master of disguise and a deadly assassin."

Puzzle pieces started slotting into place. That's how they knew Josh was associating with Tyler, how they found them in Bangladesh, why at every turn it felt like there was something new to discover about Tyler and Josh's forgotten past.

Next time he saw Tyler and he wasn't actively trying to break Josh's neck, he was going to have a lot of fucking questions for him.

"You planned all of this, didn't you?" he whispered. "The assassin going to my apartment, Tyler taking me under his wing, the trip to Bangladesh, the bodies, the kidnapping."

"The assassin was an accident," Hayley quipped, her voice hiding the smirk on her lips. "But I have to admit, it was a great way to spur your meeting."

Josh yanked at the restraints again, feeling the threads start to come apart under his force. "But why? What do we have that's so valuable? I'm just a guy who did some time in the military and draws pictures for children's books."

"And who better to be one of our strongest assets? Someone who no one will suspect."

"I'd rather die than ever become part of your cosplaying Charles Manson crew," Josh spat.

Hayley held up the remote, her manicured thumb hovering over the button. "Too bad you won't be dying any time soon."

She pressed it. A loud whirring came from above Josh, and he could see a sparking metallic plate lower itself to either side of his head. He pressed his body against the restraints again, growing desperate as the machine grew closer to him.

Josh saw what those machines did to the others in the facility. They destroyed a person from inside out, turning their brain to mush so the scientists could mold them how they pleased.

Hayley smiled sickly sweet. "I see you've seen this before. You know what it can do. What it will do to you. I like you, Josh. I always admired your strong will, both as part of the Cerberus team and as an enemy. I know you'll be a great asset Heaven's Templar. So, I want to give you a choice."

She walked to Josh's left, placing a hand on his forearm. "Come willingly, or I'll have to force you."

Josh looked her straight in the eyes as his right arm busted free, and he grabbed her by her throat. Hayley's eyes widened and she clawed at Josh's iron grip around her thin neck. He knew he could easily snap her neck in a split second, but that would be too easy. If she really was part of the Cerberus team, then she wouldn't die this easily.

"Burning," she whispered, holding the button down.

Josh's body jerked back, his back arching and head being thrown back by the force of the shock pulsing through his body. He let go of Hayley, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

"Winter."

Jolt. He could feel his skin start to tingle. His mouth was filled with the taste of metal and strawberry.

"Nine."

Jolt. Josh was losing consciousness, but he knew when that happened, it would be over. So he gritted his teeth and pulled with all his might, ripping his left arm free.

"Rabbit."

Jolt. He knew he was screaming, but he couldn't hear himself the roaring of blood in his ears.

"Taxi Cab."

Everything went black, and the only thing that stayed was the sound of static in his ears and the taste of metal and strawberries in his mouth.