The Curious Adventure

Chapter Twelve: The Sun

"Bea, I need you to call a number for me and tell them there's been an incident with the Wright family, and that I have gone to investigate," The doctor sat, eyes straight ahead, frozen, his tone firm and commanding.

Beatrice had fallen uncharacteristically silent while she jotted down the number for the line the doctor needed to contact. Or maybe my heart was beating so loudly I couldn't hear anything else.

"He took him to the old house didn't he?" I glanced between the two of them rapidly as time seemed to be frozen in my apartment. It marched on ever quicker outside.

"Ellowyn, I need you to come with me and tell me everything you know. I don't think Everett needs to fear for his life but I do believe he is in danger." The doctor's hands cupped my shoulders, his eyes searching my face for something behind the panic, desperately.

I could've told you that, I wanted to say but now wasn't the time for snarky responses and the doctor didn't wait for one. Mere heartbeats later I was rushign after him, out the door and into the cool night air.

"I thought I was going to help you find the master of all invention, but it's you and Tris, isn't it? I thought I was helping," I lamented, struggling to keep pace with him, "After being in the underground I thought he was dangerous and that you didn't know what you were getting into. I was scared."

"I was going to need to tell you eventually." He responded unconvincingly.

"That's it? You knew Silas caused the Great Collapse on purpose for some bazaar reason."

"How much did you learn, Ellowyn?"

"The three of you met at University and came up with this grand invention. None of you took credit for it, and you used injured soldiers for prototypes, and now a disturbed man had taken my friend to a lab where he tortured people." I felt something in my voice changed, the volume rising with the panic shaking my body. There should have been tears with how my eyes stung but they just wouldn't come.

The doctor stopped, and took my face in his hands in on snap movement, "I need you to trust me right now Ellowyn, staying calm is what's going to get Everett home."

I nodded in agreement but it did nothing to stop the sensation that my heart what beating its way up into my throat.

"I've been searching for him because he's a war criminal. The things he did after I was discharged were unspeakable," the doctor grimaced, resuming our brisk walk to the Wright house.

"Like causing the great collapse and experimenting on children? I saw his notes while I was down there."

"I wouldn't tell him how to do it. How to attach man to machine." He ignored my previous comment, "Each of us studied one piece of the formula, Beatrice the mechanic, Silas the surgeon, and I was the connection. It was a failsafe in case one of us decided to do exactly what Silas did. He managed to get Beatrice to give up her piece of the puzzle. "

"I should've noticed sooner, Everett's arm is a mess, I'm surprised he isn't in pain all the time with how his nerves are connected, it's inhumane." I crossed my arms, rubbing my shoulders to keep off the chill.

"I agree Ellowyn. After I was sent home Silas developed a new goal. How much man could he replace with machine without killing the body," I watched him shudder, "I've seen terrible things Ellowyn, its why I volunteered to be the one to bring him in."

"I'm sorry doctor."

"It's alright, Ellowyn, this is my penance."

In front of us was the house, as yellow and dilapidated as ever. It had a different feel to it now that I wasn't sneaking around in the dark and yet it was as dangerous as ever. We left new footprints alongside the ghosts of the ones Everett and I made. and others that had to belong to Everett and Silas.