The anger I felt when I left the hospital was a kind of anger I had never felt before in my entire life. It wasn't the kind that made you want to cry. It wasn't the kind that made you introverted. It wasn't the kind that made you want to hit a wall or a person. It was the kind that burned so strong it pushed your person beyond a point of reason and made you willing to kill the one responsible. Nothing but that violent act your entire body ached to do could relieve you from the demon who had grabbed on.
The entire time I was driving my ears were ringing from the buzzing of the beacon, my knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel and I had trouble keeping twitching foot still over the gas. I was going to find Titan and I was going to make him pay for his sins then rescue my family from wherever he had them captive. He wasn't going to take anyone from me or hurt anyone close to me again. I wouldn't let him.
Following the nurse's direction, I soon stumbled upon the antique shop and this time didn't bother to hide the car in the parking lot. I pulled into the first spot I could and without turning off the car I put the gun out from under my seat in my waistband and got out. Glancing around to make sure the cost was clear, I made a beeline across the street and headed inside. When I stepped in warmth greeted me and I shivered a little as I looked around. The shop seemed to be a gift shop of sorts, but everything looked like Greek and Roman artifacts.
I didn't have time to admire it though because I was on a mission.
Turning to the counter I saw an older woman behind the counter polishing a small statue of sorts. She didn't quite look old enough to be a grandmother, but she looked older then my mother. Gripping the gun in my waistband I approached her. "Are you Mel?" I asked and she glanced up at me slowly. At first, she look unamused that I had interrupted her, but then after she looked at me for a moment she shot up and pulled out a shotgun from underneath the counter.
"Who's asking?" She demanded, making me gasped as I drew out my gun as well. Little good that would do me though, being I had no clue how to use it.
"Whoa! Whoa lady calm down! I'm not here to hurt you!" I shouted.
"That gun in your hand would say otherwise!" She shouted back, snapping her trigger into place.
"You pulled yours out first!" I then held up my free hand. "Look I'll put it back okay, I'll put my gun back just don't shoot me please." I begged as she aimed her shotgun at me.
"You have one breath to tell me who you are or I'm going to blow you around my store!"
Quickly I held up both my hands in peace as I backed away. "Abigail Williams! My name is Abigail Williams Pluto sent me!"
"That doesn't prove nothing to me. What's the code?" She asked, still aiming at me. Oh man, oh man what was the code? I had been listening when Pluto said it but it had been so chaotic. "Well?" It had been something about a room. No! No, a program. Something about getting a program to work, maybe like a test drive? "Five...Four...three." Not a test drive, not a test drive. It was a...a... "two..."
"I want to try the program!" I then blurted, before grimacing as I prepared for her to shoot me. Instead she lowered the gun with a suddenly friendly smile and put the gun away.
"Abigail Williams as I live and breathe. I always knew this day would come," She said, making me dare to open my eyes. I guess I didn't look so brave anymore.
"You...you were going to shot me?" I gasped as I put my gun away in my waistband.
"Yes, I was. You're not the first Abigail Williams to come through here," She said, going back to polishing her statue.
"What's that suppose to mean?" I asked, daring to move closer to the counter.
"It means Titan likes to play games. Always sending his goonies in here looking for trouble, but they never get back to him," She said proudly. "So, what brings you here?"
"I...um. Pluto sent me here. I don't know why." I admitted sheepishly.
"I know why. Its for our doomsday protocol," She said before placing the little statue she had been polishing into a box and under the counter. "Come with me." Hesitantly then I followed her around the counter and into the little office in the back. Like the office room Jupiter brought me to, the room was covered in news paper clippings, photos and many other far to familiar looking things.
"Your part of The Minds?" I asked as she opened her desk and began rummaging through the draws with a chuckle.
"I wish. I was just their lousy secretary who knew too much for her own good. After everything went to shit, I holed up in my grandmother's antique store, waiting until I was needed."
"You escaped that night?" I asked curiously, taking a seat in one of the chairs.
"Only because of Pluto and this." She then pulled out a dust colored zip tie bag and pulled out a purple medallion attached to a silver string.
"What is that?" I asked, my eyes growing wide at how beautiful it was.
"It belongs to Venus. Her power source is impended inside." She then held it up in the light to show me the little memory chip forged inside.
"Whoa, that's like something from a superhero movie," I said, slowly rising as she handed me the necklace. "Who's Venus?" I asked, turning it back and forth in my hand.
"Venus is the only automaton as powerful as Titan." At that my blood ran cold.
"How come I haven't heard of her before?" I asked.
"They probably think she's dead, but she isn't." Mel then took a seat. "The night Titan destroyed the lab; she gave Pluto and I her memory chip to hide because we were cornered. She knew the only way out was for one of us to distract his men, so she allowed them to catch her while Pluto and I escaped. Once we were a safe distance from the lab, Pluto told me he was going to help me hide before regrouping with the others and he wanted me to hide her memory chip so Titan couldn't manipulate it and take control of her. So, we set up the doomsday protocol, which is why we are sitting here now."
"Wouldn't the chip be safer here with you though?" I asked, feeling my head spin with all the information. I wonder why I saw Pluto in my nightmare if he hadn't been the one who rescued me?
"No. If Pluto sent you to get it that means he fears Titan has grown to powerful and is coming for me." She then leaned forward with a serious expression. "They got him, didn't they?" She asked, making that deadly rage burn inside me again.
"When we were escaping the safe house. That's when he told me to come find you," I said, putting the necklace in the hidden pocket of my coat and zipping it in. I haven't take off my camouflage jacket in days, it should be safe there. "He might still be alive though,"
"Its very unlikely." She sighed heavily and sat back. "You can't tell anyone about the necklace Abigail. The more people that know increase the chances of the wrong people finding out. You already have a target on your head."
"Why did Pluto want me to get it then?" I asked, running my hands through my hair.
"Because you were probably the only one, he had a chance to tell. It isn't the ideal situation, but sometimes hiding it in somewhere they're already looking might be better then putting it somewhere they haven't." She studied me for a long moment then. "Titan is closer then you think Abigail. He has many faces," She said before getting up and closing the drawer.
"What do you mean? Like he has multiple personalities or something?" I asked but she didn't respond. Instead she walked out of the office with me at her heels. "Come on, isn't there more information you can give me about him? Or at least a picture so I know what the guy looks like?" I asked.
"You better go Abigail; you've been here to long. The longer you stay in one place the easier it will be for them to find you."
Swallowing thickly, I looked at Mel for a long moment before exhaling slowly. "Thanks for your help, hopefully I can get to Titan before he gets to you," I said before leaving the antique shop, with the small weight of the necklace bumping against my ribcage. Although my anger was still there, I could also feel a strong sense of impending doom. The worst hadn't seemed to have happened yet and I was worried I wouldn't have time to stop it from coming unless I acted fast.
Before I could get into my car and form some sort of a plan though I noticed a couple of dudes in hoodies, with the hoods pulled over their heads, looking through the windows of the tactical vehicle. Without hesitating, I pulled out my gun and prepared myself for a brawl.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" I called out, hoping they didn't notice the tremor in my tone. At first, they stiffened, and then they slowly turned. When they did, I prepared myself for the worst-case scenario but instead I lowered my gun when I saw it was Neptune and Mars.
"Abigail?" Mars called back, taking off his hood as I rushed towards them.
"Abigail! I'm so relieved we found you." Neptune gasped as she pulled me in for a tight hug when I got close enough.
"I'm relieved you guys found me to," I admitted, briefly hugging her back before pulling away.
"Where are the others?" I asked, looking around.
"In the area searching for you, but now I believe we can regroup and make a plan." Mars informed as Neptune grabbed my chin and turned my face side to side to look at my scratches.
"Where's Pluto?" She asked, and instantly the smile on my face faded as I pulled away from her and looked down.
I didn't have to say anything more, my face told the story.
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Whoohooo double update for you guys today! I'm super excited, because we're slowly getting to the action packed parts, where I have less filler chapters and more action.
So stay tooned my lovelies! ;)
-Mari.