Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 54: Coalesce

As he walked, he reached out to Eli, letting him know what had happened and where they were going. The man sent back a short reply, informing Connor that he was on his way up through the fireplace entrance.

Connor closed his connection to Eli's phone, and through the break in the trees, he could see Clara's house. He made his way toward it, staying alert to any signs that the house was being watched. Once he was sure it was safe, he walked carefully across the back lawn to the rear house entrance. He tried the door but found it was locked. Briefly, he considered breaking one of the small panes in the door to reach the lock, but before he could, he saw a flicker of motion. Eli approached, then pulled the door open.

His face twisted in concern as he caught sight of Clara. "What happened?" His eyes held a glint of anger.

"Help me get her settled first." Connor pushed past him into the small sitting room in a part of the house he was unfamiliar with.

"Follow me." Eli led him through a hallway toward a set of stairs.

Connor followed closely behind, and they made their way up to Clara's bedroom. Eli opened the door, and Connor noticed the room almost exactly as he'd last seen it. The blankets on the bed were still disheveled, the air heavy and stagnant. Connor moved forward and placed the writhing Clara on the bed, then moved to the window, pulling the curtains open to let the natural light in. He cracked the window slightly to allow a stream of fresh air through, hoping it would displace some of the stagnation.

A creak sounded behind him, and he turned to see Eli standing in the doorway, frowning.

"Are you going to tell me what happened now?" His voice was low and dark.

Connor sighed, looking back at the woman on the bed. "I...interfaced with her."

"What?!" Disbelief flashed across Eli's face. "Is that even possible?"

Connor half shrugged. "I don't know how, but yes." He dropped down into the chair by Clara's bed, watching as she continued tossing and turning, as if caught in the throes of a nightmare. He felt a swell of guilt watching her. This was his fault.

"Okay, and what happened?" The man's voice held a note of frustration.

"I showed her some of my memories, and she just collapsed. She said it was too much, so I broke the connection." The image of her pulling away from him, bleeding blue, flashed across his mind again. "I think her implants couldn't process all the information, so they started breaking down."

Eli's face grew dark and hard. "Damn you androids!" He growled the words, voice low and dangers, and he stalked toward Connor, rage flickering behind his eyes, then he grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up and slamming him against the wall. "Damn you all to hell!"

Connor didn't resist as Eli shoved him again. He stayed silent, weathering the anger.

Eli stared at him, eyes hard, then released him, taking a step back as he shouted. "How could you have been so stupid?! She's human, Connor. Human! She's not one of you. Her mind doesn't work the same way as yours! Of course it was too much!" He ran his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth. Then he let out a frustrated scream, punching the wall. "Damn it! First Simon pulls his little stunt, and now this!"