My legs went cold, as if they were made from ice as my heart rate increased and my mind thought about him.
About Mister Crow.
I remembered that we had history with each other but I couldn't remember all of it, it was as if something inside my mind had created a block. A block that stopped me from remembering our history before I knew the man in the mask as Mister Crow.
Shadow tried to lean up from the computer but ended up crumpling in pain as he audibly groaned. I ripped myself out of my frozen mind set and manoeuvred over to Shadow helping him to gain his balance on the keyboard once again as he motioned for me to leave him alone.
Calm, composed boots wandered in with unnerving purpose. They moved with a certain swagger doused in a confidence that exuded and filled the room, until I felt smothered in its overwhelming presence.
His confidence infuriated me, with the way he walked in his face obscured and wearing all black clothing whilst holding a pistol in his hand waving as if it were a wave of hello. Even if I didn't know that man's name, I felt like his name was seared into my brain like a brand. His name was Mister Crow.
Shadow moaned in pain as he tried to stand up straight, as if he were trying to warn Mister Crow to stay away.
Mister Crow spoke first "no no no no! Shadow my man! Don't you move an inch!" His tone was chilling and unnerving.
Instinctually, I thought about reaching for my baton but as I did Shadow shook his head as if he were silently suggesting 'don't do it' and trusting him I kept my arms close but did not retrieve my baton.
"So my dear little Fox how have you been?" Mister Crow questioned his voice echoing throughout the small room like a maniacal sounding bell. Suddenly, his head snapped in a new direction as if finally a gear had turned in his brain, "so did you find the files?" He questioned referring to the files Shadow found.
Finally, I mustered up the courage to reply "yes j- ju- just right now, Shadow showed me" My response was laced with a timidness that showed clearly.
"I thought you'd been here before, honestly my dear Fox I thought when you came to the dam the other night you surely would've seen all this before!" Mister Crow replied as I remembered the night I came to the dam filled with anger.
I responded quickly "it was you wasn't it! You were the reason my PTD beeped at the dam, you were there! Were you stalking me?" I questioned with a threatening tone acting as if I had any power in the situation.
Mister Crow nodded his head in encouragement and he replied "that's it my little Fox! That fire within you I love that about you!" His words were unnerving and sent shivers down my spine. "And to answer your question it was me that night on the dam! But I didn't do anything because I wanted to give you your time please understand!" He pleaded grasping my hand which I tried to get away from.
I stared at him right in the unmoving skull eyes painted on his cold mask, as if they were his actual eyes blazing with malevolence that radiated from him like a bad odour. "Why give me time?" I questioned making sure my voice showed no empathy.
He stepped back slightly before he responded "because you needed it. Or you wanted it. I don't really know but it felt like the right thing to do. Please my dear little Fox I need you to trust me!" He pleaded once again.
I shifted away from him uneasily but stopped moving when Mister Crow's grip on his gun tightened. In my head I wondered why Mister Crow would need me to trust him all his action suggested some sort of cruel fascination with me. "Why do you need me to trust you?" I questioned.
"Well I just do. Alexis" He replied with an almost pathetic tone laced in his voice. "Wait I know what would make you understand!" He continued excitedly.
I watched as he moved over to Shadow who still stood immobile and tapped away at the keyboard pulling up more files on The Ni-key Project. Shadow tried to speak "wh- wh- what a- a-" his speech was stuttered and he could barely string together an understandable sentence.
I understood the question Shadow was trying to ask and I then asked it myself "what do you mean? What are you trying to do Mister Crow?" Immediately Mister Crow stopped typing and turned to face me.
Mister Crow quickly responded to my question as if he wanted me to question him just for the attention "PROOF! My dear Fox" he shouted to no one in particular. "Well to trust me I can give you proof and show you the real people you should be mad at is the people behind The Ni-key Project!" Mister Crow argued as if he really believed that his argument would persuade me.
Shadow pepped himself up on the keyboard trying to support his own weight, then he tried to speak but the words were caught before then could leave his mouth, "wh- w- wha- wk- w- w- w- w- wa- we- w-" He struggled to speak trying, to mouth a word but Mister Crow's mere presence worsened his physical condition.
Mister Crow seemed to be getting annoyed at this prospect, as he poke up "shut the hell up! You broken man! DO I NEED to break you more?" He questioned anger laced in his tone as he raised the butt of his gun and smashed it against Shadow's face cracking his visor and sending him falling to the ground.
Quickly, I manoeuvred over to Shadow with a burst of adrenaline fuelled speed that drove me to Shadow's side. With a fury deep within my heart I burst out in anger filled rant aimed at Mister Crow, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING--" I stopped myself thinking of Shadow's safety. "FINE! Show me the proof but don't, I repeat DO NOT hurt Shadow!" I commanded hoping that deep within his rotten core that some sick twisted thing inside him actually cared for me and would for my sake not hurt Shadow anymore. Shadow had protected me so often I needed for once be able to protect him as repayment for his actions, considering Shadow never needed to protect me but he did out of his own volition.
Mister Crow gave a shake of excitement at the prospect of impressing me. He tapped away until he pulled up a document of someone I knew, "it's Sean!" I announced to Mister Crow.
I scanned over the document it contained general information about Sean including his height, gender and other feature like mine. His document also contained an 'Enhancement' section which underneath it said 'Adrenaline inducement' and underneath was an explanation of this 'enhancement' which said 'Subject is able to consciously activate the fight or flight response resulting in the production of adrenaline into the subject's system increasing physical aspects such as strength.' The document explained Sean's strength pretty well explaining why he was able to be so strong on occasion, but not always. Below the 'Enhancement' section was another section called 'Notes' under which the following was written 'Subject Sean Anderson unlike his brothers has a medical condition making his enhancement potentially dangerous to others but more potent to himself.' This referred to his brother Elliot and Tom, the latter of which had attacked me ending up in his resulting accidental death...at my hands.
"Is this enough proof or do you need the rest of the Anderson family?" Mister Crow questioned as he tapped at the keyboard and pulled up two other documents labelled with Tom and Elliot's names but without the notes like Sean's had.
I shuddered at the sight of Tom Anderson's file, the man that attacked me but equally I had killed in cold blood.
"No no no no no no-" I muttered under my breath as my breathing increased as I tried to calm myself down. I focused on my breathing trying to slow it down. In and out. In and out. And finally in and out.
Eventually, I mustered up the courage to speak, "search someone else like umm Patricia! She's in the killing game. Search her!" I commanded and instantly Mister Crow pulled up the document on Patricia Walker.
The document had the same information like the others about Patricia and even the 'Enhancement' section, the section said 'Emotional blockade' and under which it explained the enhancement as it said 'Subject Patricia Walker can create some subconscious blockade from her emotions stopping the subject from feeling pain and other such emotions resulting in an emotionless state named by subject Alexis Monroe.' What did all this mean? How could I be mentioned in her file, how could I not remember any of it.
It was right in front of me. The proof of The Ni-key Project the proof that the reason we were in this killing game was due to the The Ni-key Project!
But still the man in front of me, Mister Crow was hated by me in my very soul, this small kindness could never redeem this figure in my eyes. I had to get me and Shadow and everyone else away from the monster known as Mister Crow.
We needed a distraction.