amplification
Kinsey Argent fiddled with the lock to her apartment, her hands still shaking with anxiety. Lately, the girl had found herself unsettled. Perhaps it was the thought of knowing what was happening to her best friend, and with it, the waiting around for the appropriate time to commence the hell of a plan they had created to break her out of there. Or could it be the giant beast rampaging the town? Her hands continued shaking as she tried to find the keyhole, missing it every time until a hand wrapped around hers, steadying it as the brunette took a deep, composing herself as they successfully unlocked the apartment door. Neither spoke as they opened the door, greeted by a dark, narrow hallway that seemed to wash a feeling of emptiness over the two of them.
It had been weeks since Kinsey had moved back into the apartment, months since she had been able to come back here without breaking down at the threshold of the door. They had all been in the apartment since, in and out as though there was no connection between this dark hall and a bad memory. It didn't always hit her, often, she managed to subside the thought. But while she had shut the door to thinking about Lydia, something else had snuck through another.
She stared down the hallway, her eyes landing on the open door at the end of the hallway, that room was out of bounds, in a sense, nobody wanted to go in there, or near it for that matter. It wasn't necessary. It was often forgotten about completely. Until a moment of weakness. Like a moment the brunette felt herself having now.
After all this time, Kinsey still couldn't help but how different things could have been if she was still here. If she still had Allison. Maybe they would all be living a much different life. She didn't doubt that trouble would still follow them, it always had, even before they realized, but maybe it would be easier to navigate with her around.
Isaac placed a hand on the huntress's shoulder, she took a deep breath, the touch bringing her some comfort as she rested her head on his arm, for a moment the two stood still in the silence of the empty apartment, looking at the door straight ahead. She would have had Lydia out, you know, the brunette girl mumbled under her breath. She would have never let her go in there in the first place, she added. With that thought, and the disappointment in herself, Kinsey stepped into the apartment, placing her keys on the table in the foyer, sighing heavily again.
The Lahey boy pulled the girl into a hug, reminding her that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help Lydia, she hadn't been allowed to, what was important was that they were going to help her now by breaking her out of that place and ensuring that she was safe again. Despite the reassurance it was hard for the girl to believe it, it always felt like there was more she could do, for Lydia or all of the other people in her life. As if her attempts always felt short of the mark.
"She was always better at this than me," Kinsey said wistfully. "She was a natural at everything. I can't be like that, Isaac. It's a miracle I'm still here now." The girl said honestly as she looked up at the werewolf who was surprised by the sudden confession. "If Allison was here she would find a way to make everything right. None of this would have ever happened."
"You can't do that." Isaac stopped her. "Keep blaming yourself for stuff that is completely out of your control. Look, I wish Allison was still here too, but even if she was, she couldn't stop any of this. Theo still would have come here to try and kill Scott. Your mom would have still come back to try and get more power. Big, terrifying beasts would still end up being here. Kinsey, this is just what happens in Beacon Hills. All the bad things that happen to you aren't your fault. None of it."
"I just wish it was all simpler again." The girl shrugged. "I miss the times when it was all new and it was exciting when our lives weren't truly in danger. When it was just Scott figuring out that he was a werewolf and it was this amazing thing that helped him in lacrosse. The times when it all just seemed like a fun dream. Not a never-ending nightmare."
"Trust me, I would do anything to go back to my start with all of this too." He reassured her, both of them gazing at each other for a moment, lustfully. He brushed the girl's hair behind her ear as she sharply inhaled, neither breaking their eye contact. Just as Isaac was about to speak, a loud ringing sounded as Kinsey's phone vibrated on the table behind her, Stiles's name on the screen. "Why is he calling you at this time?" Isaac asked, only a slight hint of jealousy in his voice.
Kinsey shook her head, unsure as she answered, barely able to greet the boy before he started to shout down the phone, begging her to come to Scott's as soon as possible, that it was urgent. He heard Isaac in the background, mumbling about driving her, quickly encouraging Stiles to insist that she come alone. Whether Isaac was staying with Scott or not, this matter had to be handled between the three of them, whatever it may be. As he hung up the phone Kinsey looked at Isaac with a furrowed brow, unsure she should go after the battle between them and The Desert Wolf, perhaps they should all stay out of trouble, but Isaac encouraged her to go, for all they knew the urgent matter was Lydia.
Sirens sounded loudly in their ears as a series of cruisers sped down the highway. The flashing of blue and red lights illuminated the night, searching for the large beast on a rampage through the town with a more discreet car following behind them. A Jeep. One that had no business being in a high-speed police chase, yet always seemed to be. They couldn't remember the last time that Beacon Hills had a disaster that didn't involve them, but Kinsey couldn't complain, just a couple of moments ago she had wished for this very thing- a simpler time. Back when this was all new it was more often than not that the three of them would be following the Sheriff across town after hearing announcements on Stiles' police radio. While this was exactly what she had wished for, it wasn't exactly what she had anticipated when the two boys told her they had an emergency that needed her.
Less than half an hour ago she had walked into her apartment prepared to curl up in bed and try to forget all of her problems, especially the large beast that wreaked havoc. But instead, she was here, being blinded by lights while trying to spot the Beast of Geuvadan in the darkness, hoping that it didn't manage to hurt anyone on its way to wherever it was going. Maybe then she could discuss with the two boys what she thought tonight would be about. Breaking Lydia out.
Gathered around Scott's dining room table, the pack stared at one another, each looking at one of the other people around the table. Frankly, they were all in shock and awe that it was real. It had been a long time since all of them had been together since all of them had been able to look at each other without feeling guilty or angry. Things began to feel right again. But there was still one thing missing. One person in their pack. A key piece. Kinsey slammed down the blueprints to Eichen House along with the security log, both she had managed to steal when visiting Peter a few hours ago. He had helped distract the guards, tapping into his animalistic rage of his to act as a perfect distraction while his daughter quickly backed off and used her hunter abilities to her advantage.
For a moment, they all looked at the girl with a raised brow, questioning how she had gotten the security log and blueprints, and so quickly too when Scott had only just called them here, it only lasted for a split second before the group all realized who they were dealing with. Kinsey had her way of doing things, ways that they weren't sure they would ever understand. Encouraging them to swiftly move on as they began laying out their plan.
Kira couldn't help but smirk as Kinsey laid out her ideas, she had missed being around everyone, all of the illegal antics that the pack would drag her into, this felt like home to her, and while she knew it was dangerous for her to be back while she still hadn't gained control of the fox inside of her it was exactly what she needed to feel like she had her identity back. Like the person she had been before it started to take over.
Liam looked at his older half-brother who towered beside him, on the outside he remained calm as he tried to focus on the mission, but inside he was giddy like a kid. It was the most time that he had spent with Isaac since he had returned to Beacon Hills, and it was the first time the two of them would be working together, bonding over their shared dangerous lives where breaking out Lydia from a mental institution sounded like nothing more than a typical night in this town. The boy had often thought about spending time with his brother, hoping that the opportunity would arise sooner or later, though he had to admit this wasn't how he expected it to happen.
Scott looked around the table, filled with pride as the group agreed on the plan and the roles the plan involved them taking. Everyone seemed happy, confident, prepared. He was proud. Finally, his pack was back together, once again they had overcome the things that were thrown at them, and this time, perhaps the hardest one yet. They were a team once again. He was an Alpha. They all finally had hope again, it had been a long time coming.
The sound of radio static drew the teenager's attentions as frantic messages began coming from every deputy in Beacon Hills, all reporting their incidents, whether it was car-pile ups, supposed animal attacks, or sightings of some kind of animal. They could hear the worry in their voices, all of them were terrified as to whatever was causing all of this havoc, and how it could have caused it all in such short time. But the three teenagers were confident that all of these casualties would lead them to the Beast, perhaps allowing them to catch it.
Stiles picked up his speaker, acting as though he were one of them as he instructed all of them to not engage and to stay back, it was a voice familiar to each of the units, including his father who picked up his own, shouting for his son to get off of the radio. He followed with his own message, instructing his team to wait for backup, that none of them were to go near the thing.
More messages came rushing in as they all provided locations of sightings, while Scott and Stiles seemed focus on the road, trying to keep up with the police chase in a less-than-capable car, the huntress used her logical tactics as she envisioned a map, pinpoint each place that they named, trying to limit the radar of where the Beast could be heading. Beachwood to Mitchell, Kinsey had repeated in a mumble, her eyes widened as she lunged in between the two front seats, grabbing Stiles' radio as she shouted the Sheriff's name. As he had his son, Stilinski urged Kinsey to get off of the radio, but she pleaded with the man to hear her out, it was headed for the hospital, it was going to Beacon Memorial.
As she put down the radio, Stiles gripped the wheel harder, pressing his foot down as much as he could, listening to the man tell his deputies to head to the hospital and to issue a full-blown evacuation ready for their arrival.
From there, they didn't think it could get any worse, but alas, it could. Stilinski called for Parrish on his radio, asking if anyone knew where he was, and in that very moment, a 911 call had come through, reports of a man on fire heading into Beacon Memorial. Parrish. Kinsey looked at Scott and Stiles, both of them filled with worry as they shared weary looks, the boy pressed his foot on the gas again, but no matter how hard it did it never seemed to be enough.
Kinsey climbed into the front seats, taking the two by surprise as Stiles began swerving, trying to concentrate on the road and the girl who had climbed into Scott's lap at the same time, even the Alpha wasn't sure what she was doing, but she seem determined to do it. Their worry only grew as the girl opened the door while the Jeep was rattling from the high speed of the chase, both of them shouted her name, lecturing her, beginning to understand what she was about to do. And she was insane.
I can get there faster, Kinsey insisted, they both knew it was true. She was a wolf, Scott was fast on foot, but Kinsey on four paws? She would race ahead of the chase, getting to the hospital to stop Parrish and the beast in no time. Before either of them could object, Kinsey jumped out of the moving vehicle, rolling across the tarmac with a groan before she stopped, landing on all-fours as her eyes began to glow their steel blue. She wasted no time in growing her icy white fur, hiding in the trees as she raced past the string of cruisers speeding toward the hospital.
Scott and Stiles walked into the abandoned hospital, the lights flashing over their heads as they crept in, Sheriff Stilinski close behind them as he clocked his gun, startling the two teenage boys who looked at him for a moment, their eyes wide as they looked at the man who held up his gun ready to shoot whatever he saw. A series of loud growls sounded above them, shaking the entire building, snatching the attention away from the brave Sheriff as Scott listened closer to the loud growls, determining exactly where they were coming from.
Fourth floor. With his gun raised, Stilinski led the way through the fiery floor, at times, the flames were the only thing illuminating the way as the lights flickered them in and out of darkness. The two boys continued to find themselves in awe of the destruction that had been left in the tracks of the three supernaturals they knew to be here. Papers were scattered across the floor, medical equipment that had been left astray set on fire as Parrish had passed by them, scratch marks on the floors and walls, some from Kinsey, some from the Beast whose were much larger.
Slowly the three of them approached a corner, knowing to be weary of what could be around it, they had barely reached the end before a large ball of fire came zooming past them, hitting the wall as it slid to the ground, slowly dimming out as the shape of Parrish became clearer. Parrish sat against the wall, his chest oozing blood from large scratches, charred as his flame died out, his eyes flickering from their fiery orange back to their human color as he stared down the hall, looking empty inside.
Gobsmacked, Noah slowly approached him, cautious that the man might ignite again, he had no idea how to approach him, whether he could touch him or if in his trance-like state it was safe for any of them to try and talk to him.
Meanwhile, Scott looked in the direction that he had come flying from, soon seeing that among the rubble and flames, a human, naked Kinsey lay on the floor with a trail of blood around her as he narrowed his eyes at it, making out the prints of the Beast. Stiles pulled off his plaid shirt, the two of them wrapping Kinsey up in it as they woke her up from her less-than-peaceful slumber, it didn't take long for the girl to come to with a confused expression across her face, one similar to Parrish's as he looked at the Sheriff.
I'm fine, Kinsey reassured the Stilinski boy as he helped her to her feet, wrapping his plaid shirt around her naked body as she thanked him. Her attention quickly turned to Scott as he walked down the hall, his eyes on the ground as he followed the tracks of the Beast. Curious, they both followed him, slowly seeing the large bloody paw prints fade, they expected the track to die out completely as the blood wore thin, only it didn't, they turned into bloody shoeprints.
The beast was a human.
·❥·
After what they had found, the only logical thing the teenagers could think to do was to head to the man who was bound to have some insight. Deaton. While he gathered some things, they all stood waiting in his surgical room, the two boys keeping a watchful eye on the girl standing in a set of scrubs she had stolen from the hospital. Maybe she was a werewolf now who could heal in a split second, but the two of them forgot that sometimes, they still felt the need to worry and to check on her from time to time. She understood that, but she couldn't help but feel awkward about it too, especially when it came to Stiles.
She was relieved when Deaton walked back into the room with a little brown envelope in hand, it meant she would have a small break from their questions on whether her wound had healed or if she had noticed anything about the beast that could distinguish him as a human. Frankly, Kinsey didn't remember much after she wolfed out, from her arrival at the hospital everything seemed a little hazy, just images of fighting and fire flashing through her mind.
"What I'm about to show you, isn't supposed to exist." Deaton put it plainly to the teenagers, it didn't surprise them that there was something about this that was abnormal, nothing was ever straightforward. Why should the beast be any different? He laid out images on the table one by one, horrifying ones at that, Kinsey's face contorted as she analyzed each one. "This is the only surviving evidence of Dr. Valack's time as Chief Medical Officer of Eichen House. To call it human experimentation would be charitable."
Kinsey picked up one image, one that she was drawn to, an image of someone with their hands to their ears as they screamed. There were no questions about it. It was a Banshee. Deaton had confirmed it for her, the woman had died screaming. Kinsey quickly put it down, it had hit too close to home, both because of herself, and her Banshee best friend who currently resided in the house of horrors.
"So he drilled holes into their heads? All of them?" Stiles asked as Deaton continued placing the photos on the table, multiple of holes in the experiments heads.
"That was the experimentation part. He did it to Werewolves, Banshees, Wendigos, any creature he could get his hands on." He explained further, managing to turn Scott's stomach too as he'd started to imagine himself in that same situation. "Valack found that trepanation would initially heighten their powers, but to levels that couldn't be contained."
"So he wants to make Lydia more powerful," Scott stated. "Would that affect Kinsey?" He asked, an interesting question to the Were-Angel who looked at the man, wondering if their connection worked to that extent.
Before he could answer, Stiles pointed out that the redhead would end up just like the images of the supernaturals in front of them. Worse, actually, Deaton corrected. Lydia's abilities before all of the experiments were already exceptional. Putting a hole in her head would be like causing a leak in a nuclear reactor. She'll hear everything. Every death, every dying scream, all at once, he explained, then turned to Scott to answer his question about Kinsey. Yes, it would affect her too. Their connection meant that everything Lydia felt, Kinsey would too. Only without her having to experience the hole in her head. She would also hear and feel every death and scream. And that would kill them both.
"Not only that," Deaton said, worrying the girl even more as she looked at him with wide eyes, of course, it could get worse. "Combined, your dying screams together could be so powerful that it might kill everyone around you as well."
Kinsey looked at the image of the screaming woman again, soon, if they didn't help Lydia, they'd become one of those pictures too. She cleared her throat, swallowing thickly as she held back all of the tears trying to fight their way out, excusing herself for a moment as she rushed outside for some air. The three left behind all looked at one another, releasing an exasperating sigh, unsure of where to even begin in speaking, how anything could be put into words after that.
The following morning, the pack had all been gathered in the McCall house once again, after the Sheriff's son had made sure there was no legal, sensible way to get Lydia out of Eichen house, it had become clearer than ever that they would have to do it their way, following the plan Kinsey had made, the second closest they would get to logical.
Last night she had slept under the watchful eye of Isaac who had been waiting around for her to return, not expecting that she would come back in scrubs and covered in dried blood, of course, after seeing that he refused to go anywhere. Besides, it was clear she needed a good night's rest, he hoped his presence would help her find comfort, and it had. So this morning, she had woken up energized and as determined as ever. Her death was imminent, again. It had to be today.
There were four steps, Kinsey explained to the group, making it seem much easier than it would truly be. Get in Eichen, get into the closed unit, get Lydia, get out. That was the premise of a truly more complicated plan. As Scott added, it included getting past orderlies, guards, electric door locks, and not to forget, a mountain ash barrier. It was clear that after he had added more detail to her four-step plan, confidence had been knocked, especially for Liam and Kira who struggled to hide their uneasiness.
You have a plan for all that? Malia asked, trying not to show any doubt toward her sister, but she couldn't help it, the girl seemed too confident, cocky even, perhaps in over her head. The Argent pulled out a keycard from her pocket, explaining that she had stolen it from an orderly, what she hadn't known was that it was now rendered useless and they reset the codes every night. In true Peter Hale fashion, he provided her the information after she had stolen the card, and she hadn't had another chance. But she was an Argent, they didn't just give up. All they had to do was make that keycard work again.
How are you going to do that? Liam questioned.
Getting to that, Stiles reassured them, turning around the laptop to the three less clued in on the plan. Stiles and his technical nerdiness had pulled all of the histories of the key cards, two weeks ago there had been a brownout and the security system rebooted. During a reboot, all of the key cards revert back to a default code. So all they had to do was trigger a reboot, resetting them all back to their default code.
How are we going to cause a brownout? Kira asked the Argent. That was her part, Kinsey told the kitsune whose face immediately dropped, sensing the plan would place an immense amount of pressure being placed on her. Scott explained that the kitsune would draw power from the main line, but only enough to cause a brownout. Not a blackout, that could potentially send them into a lockdown which wouldn't work well for them. It would be bad. Very, very bad.
Kinsey explained that the electrical room was behind the reception counter, pointing to it on the blueprints she had stolen. The main power line goes into two breakers that run power into all of Eichen.
Kira stopped them, there was a slight problem, she didn't know how to do that. Kinsey told her that that was okay, she had time to practice, not a lot of time, but some. Until tonight, that gave her a few hours to master it.
"Let's say all this goes perfectly." Lydia proposed. "How does a brownout get us into the Closed Unit at Eichen?" Malia questioned the three-man team. She thoroughly remembered how hard it was to get out of that place, people who went in there didn't tend to get out. She was sure Stiles would remember how high the security levels were down there too.
The system takes five minutes to reboot, Stiles explained, in that five minutes all the alarms will be turned off and the key card should work. While Malia and Kira were focusing on the brownout portion, the other four of them would get down to the gate, but after that Stiles would be alone, he was the only one who could get past the Mountain Ash barrier, leaving the four of them to sit at the gate, prepared for anyone who might come down during the brownout. Scott explained in the five minutes, they would be in and out, and people would just think it was all to do with the brownout, there would be no incline they had any part in it. With the explanation over, he asked if there were any questions.
Isaac shook his head, he had no questions nor any doubts for the plan, perhaps that was stupid, it was a plan that Stiles and Scott had had a part in, there should have been an ounce of doubt in his mind at least, but no, he looked at Kinsey and felt confident. The same couldn't be said for all of them, Liam questioned how they would get into Eichen House in the first place, Malia wanted to know the worst-case scenario, and Kira was still worried she couldn't do it, hoping that there was a plan B that didn't rely on her.
"Look, I know a lot of things could go wrong," Kinsey admitted. "But if we don't do this we'll lose Lydia. She will die in there tonight." The brunette told them, they had tried to refrain from giving any hint that there was a lot at stake tonight, they didn't want to put more pressure on everyone than they already had. But perhaps that pressure would be what made this work.
"Kinsey too," Stiles added, another part that Kinsey had hoped to avoid as she watched Malia's and Isaac's facial expressions changed, both slightly hurt that she hadn't told them, but mostly, they were worried that she was at risk of dying again.
"And they could take a lot of innocent people with them," Scott added, piling on the pressure.
From there, nobody dwelled for too long. There was a lot to consider, and still a lot of things they would have to do in preparation. Kira and Malia headed to the school to practice Kira's ability to pull electricity like she would do from the mainline. The rest of them were going to try and focus on the Beast problem until tonight, hoping that they could kill two birds with one stone today, it was optimistic, but that seemed to be how this pack worked, even if it didn't always work.
It was only moments after Kira and Malia had left that Scott received a text from his mom to see her at the hospital, of course, Liam joined him, filling in for Stiles who was going to pay another visit to his father to fill him in on their plan to save Lydia. Everyone left, leaving behind Isaac and Kinsey, the brunette sighed heavily as soon as the door shut behind the three boys, not because she was stressed, or terrified for her life, but because she knew a lecture was imminent. That the werewolf who currently had his back to her would turn around any minute now and question all of the things he had just heard, specifically the fact she could die tonight, and how she refrained from mentioning that when he had been with her all of last night.
Of course, her expectations were right, she knew him, like the back of her hand. He turned to her with a disappointed look, disapproving of what she had done. He placed two hands on the table as he leaned on it, remaining silent for a moment, letting his eyes do all of the talking as the two of them stared at each other in complete, understanding silence.
Kinsey tapped her fingers on the wooden table, patiently waiting for him to start, she wouldn't be the one to start the conversation, making it seem like she was guilty in any way. Because she didn't believe she was. If she had told him or Malia sooner, the two of them would have wrapped her up in bubble wrap and refused to let her do anything, let alone complete the idiotic plan she had made to save Lydia. She didn't feel guilty. Only terrified, but she wouldn't let that show. For the past year, she had risked dying more times than she could count, her death had been written in the stars more than love stories had been written in books. Sometimes she believed that her death was inevitable because of what she was, and she was starting to accept that. She wouldn't feel guilty for dying by attempting to save her best friend, as long as Lydia ended up safe by the end of tonight, she didn't care what happened to her.
When he finally spoke, it was a single word. Why. The girl had planned to release some large rant of why she had done what she did, how after everything she had been through, this seemed like nothing, there were a million things she had planned to say, but for some reason, when he spoke that single word she had forgotten it all, leaving her speechless, open-mouthed as she struggled to think of a plausible excuse for getting herself into yet another life-costing situation. Since she couldn't provide an explanation, Isaac moved on from the question quickly, giving up on giving her a lecture before he had even started, instead, he asked her another question. Are you okay?
"Is it selfish for me to want a break?" She asked in response. "For just one day?"
"No." Isaac shook his head confidently, shocked she would think that it was selfish for anyone to want a break from imminent death and losing people around her because of the supernatural or the family she was born into. He moved around the table, pulling the girl into his arms, allowing her to rest her head on his chest as she sighed heavily once again. "Let's make a deal?" He said as the girl raised her head, looking up at him with a furrowed brow, waiting to hear more about this little deal. "When Lydia's out of Eichen and safe again and the Beast is gone, we get away. It can be for a day, a week, a month. As long as you like. But we'll give you that break you deserve."
"As great as that sounds, Isaac, I think that maybe be even more stupidly optimistic than trying to break in and out of Eichen in five minutes." Kinsey chuckled slightly, hopelessly.
"This wasn't negotiable, Kins." Isaac deadpanned. "We'll save Lydia. We'll stop the Beast. And we will beat the odds like we always do." He insisted as the two of them stared at each other, Kinsey nodding quietly as she cricked her neck to break the height distance between them. This wasn't a joke or some light-hearted conversation, he meant it. They would beat the odds. He hoped the two of them could meet that in multiple ways. We being less about the pack, and more selfishly about the two of them alone. "This is going to work."
·❥·
Staring up at the words of the institution forged out of the black metal of the tall gates, the three girls swallowed thickly, worried that some aspect, if not all, of the plan wouldn't work. Back over at Scott's house Kira had admitted that she was worried that she couldn't do it, they each gave a few words of encouragement, but the two sisters were more proud than that, they didn't admit to their feelings of uneasiness, they swallowed them down and acted like they didn't have a care in the world. But right now, they most certainly did.
Malia looked to her sister beside her, that lump of uneasiness growing as she wondered whether it would be the last time she was her little sister, whether it would be too much to ask that there would be a change of plan and she stay with her and Kira instead, but she knew Kinsey wouldn't agree to that. She would be central to the plan, waiting on the other side of the gate to see Lydia again, ensuring that her other half was safe once again.
As anticipated, the guests for the visiting times were beginning to pile up outside of the gates, a perfect excuse for the three of them to blend in and get into the building. While Kinsey already had her cover by telling the orderlies she was here to see her father again, it was an excuse only viable for her, one that would get her where she needed to be, Malia and Kira would need to be more hidden, hiding amongst the other visitors, slipping into the electrical room to complete the brownout.
The gates opened for visiting times and the three girls slipped in with the rest of the crowd, like she always was, Kinsey was greeted with a smile, on a first name basis with the staff after all the visits she had made to her father, especially lately. She knew the procedure, they didn't question her as they told her to head straight through, so comfortable with her presence in the building it didn't even occur for them to follow the usual procedure of emptying pockets for anything they might consider remotely harmful.
She nodded at the two girls hiding in the crowd of other visitors, her final reassurance, the final time she would see them, the next time, if there was one, she hoped to have Lydia on her arm, if not, this moment would be the last time she would see her sister and friend, but she chose not to dwell on that as she headed downstairs with the orderly.
As she always did, she smiled before she headed into her father's cell, the man greeting her with a hug. She had explained her plan the last time she had come here, he had a part in it too, Peter had to act normal, as this was no different to the other times his daughter would come and visit him every other night. They would greet each other the same way. They would act pleasantly as the orderlies passed, even if there conversation wasn't pleasant, which was most of the time. He had to not ruin this for her, she had made him promise, allowing him to think his daughter had a sense of trust him in, which she didn't, she just simply hoped after his last betrayal her dad was capable of at least one favor.
The two stayed wrapped up in their hug until the orderly left, giving the girl just a few moments until the brownout to ensure her father understood his role in the plan. Both acting casual, and if in doubt, if she needed him, he would come to her rescue. He was trying to prove himself as a father, that he admitted, that he regretted what he did, how he continuously chose power over being a father, how that wouldn't happen anymore. And while Kinsey didn't believe a word of it, she nodded and smiled, pretending she did, she was her father's daughter, she had learned the art of manipulation and lying from the best.
"What aren't you telling me?" Peter asked in a low whisper, his eyes still on the door waiting for the orderly to slowly walk away, satisfied that this was nothing more than the usual father and daughter visit he usually witnessed.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kinsey answered, she too whispering.
As the orderly walked away, the sound of keys in the distance, Peter pulled away, his hands on the girl's shoulders as he looked at her sternly. "I may not be a good father but I'm an excellent werewolf and I can smell a liar from a mile away. Especially when that liar is my own flesh and blood." He said confidently, cockily. His usual tone. "What part of this ridiculous plan have you not told me?"
"The consequences of not breaking Lydia out might be worse than we thought." She answered vaguely. "Death." She added blankly. "For Lydia. For innocent people... And me."
"And you can stop it?"
"If we get Lydia out of here before Valack gets his hands on her." She nodded. "Kira's giving us a five-minute window."
"So the life of my daughter depends on a bit of electricity and five minutes?" Peter clarified, the girl nodding, when he put it like that it really put a damper on her otherwise, still painfully bad, plan. "Sorry if I don't put all my faith in that, Angel."
"I'm not asking you to." Kinsey deadpanned. "I'm not asking you to care or to give me advice. I only came here because it was the only way I could get down here. You're a part of my plan, just a chess piece, don't read into it, Peter. I'm just returning the favor. You know, like when you and Kate planned on using me?"
"That was a mistake." Peter tried to defend himself. "I'm better now."
"And I know better now." His daughter stopped him, uninterested in hearing how his time here had changed him, she had heard that false story of change one too many times.
As the words left her mouth, the power went out, beeping sounding around Eichen, kicking off the plan as Kinsey's head turned to the door of her father's cell, pulling out the keycard she had taken from the orderly on the way in here. She didn't stick around waiting so that she and Peter could finish their conversation, she was already over it, fed up with the idea of having a caring, normal father who would care that this could be the last time they might see one other. Having a father like that was a fairytale she simply wouldn't ever live.
Just as the girl was about to leave his cell, Peter stopped her. "Kinsey." He called, the girl stood on her tiptoes, eager to rush down to the Closed Unit. "I'm proud of you." The man told her, the most fatherly thing a father could say. "If this is the last time I see you I need you to know that."
Kinsey nodded, unsure what she was supposed to say to him, and she didn't have time to stand around and consider her response. Not that he expected one in this circumstance or any for that matter. She rushed out, hearing the cell door slam behind her again, locking her father back in a cage he belonged in, unlike the girl she aimed to break out.
By the time she had reached the gate to the Closed Unit, Scott, Isaac, and Liam were already by it, all of them seemingly relieved to see her, as she was them, glad to see that the plan worked. She couldn't deny that she had her doubts about them sneaking in in body bags with the help of Parrish, potentially having to trick a guard into thinking they were dead. But clearly, as the three of them stood in front of her, it had worked. And Stiles had gotten through the gate. Suddenly, it occurred to the girl that something was off, the gate itself had been pried open, bent in half so a skinny Stiles could slip right through.
She was left speechless, pointing at the broken gate, wanting to know what had happened, but simply lacking the words to ask who had done it. Isaac and Scott didn't speak either, they both simply pointed at Liam, admitting that he was the one who had bent the metal. She wasn't sure whether to be amazed, horrified or if she should hug the boy.
The girl pulled out her phone, looking at the timer she had set, and back up at the gate, unsure of how long it had been since Stiles had slipped through, but she knew the seconds were quickly counting down, and soon, they would be in the danger zone. Kinsey approached the gate with a raised hand, curious to see if the mountain ash still had an effect of her, or if she would be lucky enough to walk through it. Much to her dismay, it deflected her touch, pushing her back slightly as she groaned, she would have to stand here and wait, unbeknownst to what was happening in the Closed Unit where Stiles retrieved her best friend from.
They all waited for what felt like forever, pacing back and forth in the small corridor, staring at the gate in the hope that one time they would look and see Stiles and Lydia, but as the clock had continued ticking their hope was fading fast, beginning to think that there was something wrong on the other side of the gate. They couldn't count how many times Kinsey had tried to get past it with some kind of delusional dream that she would get past somehow, there had been times the mountain ash hadn't affected her, but those times were when she was more Angel than wolf, she couldn't say that anymore. She was both, her werewolf gene wasn't just dormant, it hadn't been more present than it had now.
The one time she needed herself to defy all the rules of the supernatural, she couldn't.
You've gotten through it before, right? Liam asked, turning to the Alpha who nodded. Once, and it was a life-or-death situation. The one that earned him his status of the True Alpha. Since then it had never happened again, he wasn't sure it was something he could ever be able to do again, he never thought he would have to be put into a situation where it was necessary again. But alas there was always something.
This is a life-or-death situation, Isaac reminded the wolf, gesturing toward the Were-Angel. This was her life-or-death situation. Scott wasn't confident, this wasn't just a circle of Mountain Ash, it was half of the building, he wasn't that strong, not to mention the bleeding wound in his chest.
"Stiles and Lydia had five minutes to get in and out. It's been ten. The reboot's over." Kinsey told them as she looked at the time. It could be any minute now that Lydia finally released her deadly scream, initiating that of her counterpart, potentially killing everyone in this building and more.
"And the keycards don't work anymore." Scott sighed.
"Not to mention the four guards," Liam added, the three of them furrowing a brow at him, each questioning which guards he was talking about. "Those guards." He said, pointing behind them to the four angry, armed guards approaching them.
"Kinsey, go." Isaac urged the girl. "Go and find them. Do whatever it takes to get Lydia out." The werewolf urged her, turning to Scott and his younger brother who nodded in agreement, while she escaped, they would take on the four guards, hopefully buying her time to find another way to get into the Closed Unit, to find that way she could defy the rules of supernatural and break in like they knew she could. She was Kinsey Argent. When there was a will there was a way, and she was just about as willing as people came.
As the fight broke out between the guards and the three werewolves, Kinsey slipped past, one of the guards yelling to follow her, but Isaac landed a blow in the man's face, distracting him from the command as the man stuck his taser stick in the werewolf's side. Kinsey didn't stop, refusing to let even the sounds of the three werewolves in pain stop her as she frantically ran through the halls, slipping around every corner as she struggled to keep up with the pace of her own feet. It felt like there was a ticking clock inside of her, and she knew what that meant to. It was building up inside of her, ready to explode, she knew that Lydia would feel it too, stronger, more powerful than she could even comprehend.
She spun around another corner, stopped by the sight of a fiery man walking in front of her as he approached another entrance to the Closed Unit. Parrish! Kinsey called, but her voice landed on deaf ears, she had forgotten how entranced he became when he tapped into the hellhound deep inside of him. How nothing else mattered to him. She followed him, feeling the heat radiating off of his illuminated body as he approached the gate with determination, his eyes on the prize, the two of them wasn't the only one searching for the Banshee. She could see the others with Valack on the other side of the gate, Tracy had Valack by the neck, shoved against a wall, an order that Kinsey assumed her "Alpha" had given her.
Parrish's fiery claws gripped onto the metal of the gate, the sound of his roar bringing Theo out of the cell, the one he really wanted was finally here. "You asked for a harbinger of death" Valack grinned as he watched the gate fall apart in front of Parrish, revealing the Were-Angel that stood behind him too. "You got two."