Innocence at its Worst

Awakening - 19

"Agent Lakes?" a medic entered the interrogation room where Lakes stood before Maeve. 

"Yes, doctor?" Xavier barely suppressed his annoyance. He had personally instructed them to not bother him when he was speaking with Maeve Raylee.

Seemingly uncomfortable, the doctor clicked his pen. "A Storm has awoken..."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?" Lakes burst through the door, head swiveling from side to side as he tried to depict which way was the labs.

Sighing, the doctor turned down the corridor, "This way sir," he walked brusquely, staying just a yard ahead of Xavier Lakes, a man well-known for his crimes against the States. 

Lakes was hardly able to contain his patience at the ID scanner, but found it was worth it when he saw a boy sitting up in bed. "Hello there," he clasped his hands in what he hoped was a friendly manner.

"Where am I?" the boy was breathing heavily, his hair matted in sweat. 

"Somewhere safe," Lakes smiled, his eyes glittering maliciously. "Doctor, get the boy some nutrition. He must be feeling ill by now."

Bowing, the doctor scurried away, along with the rest of his team. 

"Doc?" Lakes called over his shoulder.

"Yes?" the doctor poked his head back in the lab. 

"Bring in that boy, Jaxon." Xavier adjusted his tie. "Hell, bring in Maeve too."

"Yes sir," the doctor disappeared once again.

The boy stared at him intensely, his dark eyes bore into Xavier's own. The boy's cheeks were shallow, and eyes sunken, but Lakes recognized power behind those eyes. They resembled his own.

"Who are you?" the boy croaked.

Lakes simply smiled, "I would like to know the answer to that very same question myself. Who are you? How did Maeve manage to capture at least six of you?"

The boy reeled back, studying Xavier's eyes for any sign, any clue to give him an idea, no matter how small it might be. 

"Maeve?" he whispered in a voice so low, Lakes barely heard him.

"Yes..." Xavier sat on a stool so he was at the boy's level.

The boy looked around him then, recognition alighted in his eyes at the sight of it all. "What are they doing here? I'm not dead yet, am I?"

"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine," Xavier leaned towards him. "What is your name?" he enunciated.

"Levi."

Xavier seemed satisfied with the answer. "I'm special agent Xavier Lakes," he flashed the boy his badge. "I'm here to pick apart this... crude machine and to get your friends out of their comatose states. Do you remember anything from when you were inside?"

Levi frowns, a crease between his brow. "I do."

"Would you care to explain?"

Shaking his head, Levi looked back around at his friends, his eyes resting on a girl with with hair as black as tar, and skin as pale as milk. Lakes could have sworn she was blond an hour earlier with a little color.

"Rhea..." his lip quivered. Before Lakes could assault him with any more questions, Levi was already at her side, his trembling hands resting on her cool and barren arm. "I swear I'll fix this," he bowed his head low, resting his forehead on her shoulder. She remains still as a stone statue. 

The doctor came back into the lab, "Lakes, your guests have arrived," he says sarcastically.

"Excellent," Lakes' eyes never left Levi. "Leave them here then check on the Originals. If a Storm as awoken, then one of them is bound to soon."

"Affirmative," the doctor left with a sweep of his labcoat. For an odd yet strange moment, Lakes imagined the doctor in long black robes like a warlock. 

Maeve gasped, "Is that-- how is he awake?" she took a step near him, but Levi swiftly rose to his feet, fists raised and anger blazing in his eyes. 

"How are you still alive!?" he leaped over Arian's resting place and ran to Maeve, pinning her up against a wall.

Struggling for air, Maeve stared at him in shock. "What do you mean? How are you alive? You were in a coma! All of you were! How did you wake up!?"

Levi narrowed his eyes to slits. "I brought you down with me," he snarled, rage causing him to tremble. Lakes stood at the back of the room, hands clasped behind his back as he watched the event unfold. Jaxon side stepped around them, peering at the children hooked up to the strange machines.

Realization dawned on Maeve, "You mean the Queen, don't you? Queen Maeve." Hope filled her eyes.

Levi scowled, "What makes you any different?"

"I'm a human!" she emphasized. "We're actually from the same world! She-- she came from somewhere else. She came from the Pugillares Regidum where you got infected. All of you." It was a relief to finally be able to explain everything, even to somebody who most likely wouldn't understand.

Levi turned back to the machines, "How did we get in it?" he softens just a little.

Maeve pushed her glasses further up her nose. "That part doesn't necessarily matter--"

"How did we get inside?" he repeats.

Maeve huffed, already knowing that when Levi is determined, he gets what he wants. She's seen it in the feeds. "You were kidnapped by very bad people," she says flatly, refusing to admit it had been her and Jaxon. 

Levi releases her, stumbling back a few steps and holding his head in pain. "We were at the pizza place..." he loses his balance and slams into a computer stand. Tendrils of darkness weave at the air around him. 

Jaxon and Lakes look on in horror at the mess of sparks and evil. "What happened!?" Lakes turns on Maeve, shoving her against the wall.

"It wasn't me!" she cried out.

Levi rose to his feet, eyes glowing red, his focus pinpointed on Maeve. "It was you," he growled.

Jaxon ran to stand in front of her, "Hey! You kill her, you kill your friends! None of them will survive the Pugillares Regidum if you kill the creator of the damn machine!"

The darkness ebbed away after hovering near Rhea for a moment longer. "Fine," he spat.

"Take him away," Lakes spoke into his earpiece. 

>>---->

Hours later, Levi found himself in his own holding cell, surrounded by nothing but grimy stone and stale air. He figured he was underground and waited. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but he knew it was something important. An opportunity perhaps...

Night came, and nobody offered him a tray of food or a polite hello. He was just as fine with it, weaving at the night with his darkness. He repeated in his head over and over again: I am not evil. I am not evil. I will not kill anybody. I will not kill anybody...

He did this until the opportunity arose.

Closing his eyes, Levi found himself back in the simulation world where his friends were. He moved through the air like a ghost-- a shadow of his former self --and came face to face with a comatose Rhea. Mason and the others were hovering around her, worry etched into each of their faces. He tried to hear, but their voices were muffled sounds.

With a sudden realization, Levi came to the conclusion that he had inherited Maeve's power when he killed her in the simulation. He is watching them like she did. An idea then occurred to him at that very moment.

He was going to speak to them. He was going to get them out.