Blue Fire (Edited)

Chapter 29: A Trap By Any Other Name

Elaine got dressed and paced her room, trying to find a way out of this dilemma. She ended up settling on calling Sophia to get her two cents on all of this. She was about ninety percent sure that she could trust the enforcer.

"Elaine, this seems like a trap. I have been an enforcer for over ten years. Roberts is clean, and even if he isn't, we can't defy him. I'm telling you this as a friend. Don't go through with it," Sophia warned earnestly.

"I can't let David, I mean my father, get killed. Not after all this time... not when I'm so close to meeting him," Elaine responded, her voice trembling with determination.

"What about Philip? If anything were to happen to you, it would break him. Look what he's going through now. And he'd do it all again in a heartbeat to rescue you. Don't let it all be in vain," Sophia pleaded, her tone filled with urgency as she tried to sway Elaine's decision.

"But how can I live with myself knowing I am the reason someone is dead? If this doesn't work out, please take care of Philip for me. Help him forget me," Elaine said, her voice cracking with emotion.

"You and I both know that won't happen. You're both equally hard-headed. Truly an equal match. Whatever you decide, Elaine, I will back you up and protect you as best I can."

"Thanks, Sophia. You truly are a great friend."

Hanging up with Sophia, Elaine thought long and hard. It didn't matter which way she looked at it; she couldn't stand idle and let an innocent man die.

"Meet me at BioOrg at 7:30 pm, and bring as many allies as you can," she texted Sophia.

Elaine had a little over 8 hours to prepare for the meeting. She had to tell Philip! So, she lay on her bed and let her mind wander to him. It was getting easier to master dream-walking the more she practiced, though traversing a large distance like this was taxing on her energy levels.

She appeared in the white room with the harsh lighting again. The poles were gone, much to her relief, but the blood was still smeared all over the ground. In the corner of the room, she could see Phillip sitting, bare-chested, with one leg stretched out in front of him and the other one brought up to shoulder level. He had one arm resting on his knee while the other lay in his lap. His energy level looked slightly weaker than usual, but not as bad as before. He looked up towards her with burning blue eyes. She ran to him, falling on her knees in front of him, and held his hand, letting their energies intermingle.

""Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I asked you not to worry," he responded hoarsely, mustering up a weak smile.

"Phillip, something happened..." she began, and relayed to him everything, including her decision to meet Rutherford.

"It's obviously a trap. You can't go!" He responded with concern etched on his features.

"Phillip, I didn't come to get your approval. I just wanted you to know," she responded, knowing how callous that sounded.

He stared at her long and hard; she could see the anger growing inside him. She waited for him to say something, but he didn't. His silence was almost worse than if he had expressed his anger.

"Are you not going to say anything?" she asked.

"It seems my opinion on the matter means little to nothing to you," he responded. She knew she deserved that.

"Philip, you have to understand, I can't just let them kill him," she countered.

"If he wanted David dead, he would've been already. Rutherford is using him as bait to get you there. And if he's truthful and Roberts is also untrustworthy, then you are in even more danger. The enforcers you're taking with you cannot disobey a direct order. They've all already seen what has become of me. No one will be too eager to share my fate to protect you. Not even Sophia."