We all leave the library, leaving Gallant alone. Michael and I decided it's time to break Gallant even more. I quietly sneak up to the catwalk, while Michael dawn's his leather suit again. While I wait I notice the radio has changed to Gold Dust Woman, by Fleetwood Mac, oh, how I miss Stevie and her music. Once I see Gallant look into the hall and see Michael, I cast a spell on him, causing a false vision. Gallant will think he is following Michael, but really, he will be doing what the anger inside of him desires most. Once they are upstairs, Michael flashing on the catwalk beside me, "there's nothing like catching someone in the act."
I nod and the two of us head to Evie's room, where Gallant had snuck in. Michael pushes open the door and Gallant looks over to us, shocked and confused, he himself covered in blood. Michael and I glance down and Gallant follows our gaze, to his grandmother's lifeless body. When I hear a woman scream, I look over to Michael, "it seems as though Venable found our happy souls."
"Yes, it does." Michael nods before he and I head down stairs.
To our surprise Venable's office door is open and she is there with two members of staff, Mead and a young couple. The young woman holding the side of her face, since she had just been slapped by the large woman, holding her by the hair. "The world is strewn with the unburied corpses of seven billion people, and all you can think about is fornication?" Venable looks between the couple. "And I'm the sick one? Get them out of here, their punishment can't come soon enough."
"No, please!" The two plead. "No!" The two are dragged to the surface tunnel. Venable stopping at the entrance, watching them leave, then turning back to her office before walking back.
Once she is gone Michael and I walk up the tunnel, finding Mead holding her side, since she had been shot, "stay with her, I'll get the other two." I pass Mead, without even looking in her direction. When I get into the decontamination chamber I see the large woman standing over the man, "stop!"
She turns toward me, "I don't answer to you."
"No." I turn, hearing Mead. "But you answer to me."
The young couple stand and Mead takes them back to the room they were found in. Michael and I head into Ariel's office to prepare for our interviews. I sit on the desk and smile over to Michael, who looks over to me and chuckles, "What?"
I shake my head, "nothing. Just admiring you."
"Is that so." Michael walks over to me.
"Yes, it is." I take a deep breath. "Why me?"
"What?"
"Why did you choose me?"
Michael stops for a minute and thinks, "because you are the one, Rose. You are a powerful witch, you are amazingly beautiful and devilish. I couldn't imagine anyone other than you by my side."
"Other than Ms. Mead."
"Yes..." Michael nods and drops his head.
"I'm sorry." I look down, "I shouldn't have..."
Michael moves closer to me and places a hand on my knee, "do you really wanna know why I choose you?" I nod as Michael takes a deep breath, "I'd been flying solo for so long. Nobody singing a harmony. Just me and my shadow. But then I found you like a melody and it was like you were singing in the same key." Michael shakes his head, "that doesn't make any sense, does it?"
I chuckle, "no it does." I nod, "I wanna run down your wild dreams. I wanna chase every high with you. We'll never learn how to sing the blues."
Michael smiles at me and places his hands on my cheeks, placing a forehead against mine. "You are perfect."
"Says the Antichrist."
Michael shakes his head, "and sometimes I can't even do that right. But you put me back on track. When I met you I never imagined you'd be on board with all this. All the pain, death, chaos."
"I've always been one for chaos."
Once the two are dressed the young man, Timothy, is shown in the room, he looks between Michael and I as he sits, "thank you, for saving Emily and I."
Michael walks over to him, "there is no need to thank us."
"You two are the only reason we weren't executed. You saved our lives."
"Why wouldn't we?" I smile, "the fate of the world depends on what we do here." I chuckle, "I mean, we can't let the people with perfect DNA to be killed."
Timothy nods and takes a deep breath, "you know about our DNA?"
"Timothy, Michael and I were the ones who hand picked the two of you."
Michael nods, "you and a handful of others who were sadly at the other Outposts."
"We've been charged with finding the seeds from which the future of mankind will blossom. Why would we cut you out because of a minor infraction?"
"I suppose you're right." Timothy nods.
"Tell me, Timothy." I walk over to him and kneel beside him, "what do you truly desire? If the apocalypse had never happened, if you could be anywhere in the world, where would it be?"
"With Emily." Timothy looks down to me, "Anywhere with Emily." he looks from me to Michael, "and I know she feels the same way."
"Very well," Michael nods, "you may leave."
"That's it?"
"That tells us a lot about you."
Timothy looks between us rather confused, but he does as he is told and leaves. I stand and turn to Michael, "he's sincere with a good heart." I chuckle, "he wouldn't make it very long with us long, but they have the perfect DNA."
Michael nods, "if anything were to happen to either of us, they could give us an heir to our kingdom."
I nod "exactly." I smile up to Michael, "who's next?"
"Gallant."
I chuckle, "goodie."
Gallant walks into the room, quickly and stops in the middle of the room, "I know, I know. I'm out of the running for the Sanctuary. Just please, before you go give me one of those capsules."
Michael shakes his head, "you're not out of the running."
"But I killed my Nana."
"Hmm... nonsense. She died peacefully... in her sleep. Trust me." I wink over to Gallant.
Michael smiles, "we just want to assure you that you were still a viable candidate for The Sanctuary."
"I was actually wondering if you were alright, after your Nana's death." I click my tongue, "it can't be easy for someone to lose the bridge to their childhood and their only family."
"I'm uh..." Gallant clears his throat, "I'm fine, thank you."
I smile and walk over to Gallant giving him a hug. He accepts, after a moment of being confused and once I release him, he quickly makes his exit and I walk over to Michael, who takes a deep breath, "must you make me jealous?"
I shrug, "keeps things interesting." I look down at the list of interviews and sigh, "really we are interviewing the help?"
"Why not? You need servants don't you, my queen?"
"I suppose so." I shake my head and chuckle.
The next person to be shown in is Mallory, she looks nervous but curious. "So, I've noticed you know a lot about people. I'm assuming you have files on the people who were supposed to be here."
"Some." Michael nods, "but you, you weren't supposed to be here, were you?"
"Which explains why you know so little about me."
"That's not true," Michael shakes his head, "You see, Rose has a talent, call it a night vision of the soul. She can see into the dark places people desperately try to keep hidden. It's one of the reasons she was sent with me."
"I don't have any dark places." Mallory shakes her head.
"Really? So even though you've worked for Coco for many years and..." Michael places his hands behind his back and walks over to Mallory and I. "Even though she saved your life after the bombs fell, why do I believe that you'd love nothing more than to pick up anything sharp enough to cut clay and slice her throat down to the bone?"
I nod, "I'd say that qualifies as a dark place, Mallory. Wouldn't you?"
"Look," Mallory looks from me, up to Michael, "she can be a handful sometimes, and... yeah, she sometimes makes me do things I'd rather not. That doesn't mean I want to kill her. She's spoiled and she's entitled, but... she's also helpless. She needs me."
"Does she?" I tilt my head, "or do you need her? I mean, without Coco, you'd be dead along with seven billion other people." I chuckle, "the old world lived under a set of rules."
Michael nods, "thou shalt not kill."
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor, etcetera, etcetera."
"Rules that were clearly honored in the breach. We want a world without hypocrisy."
"We want a world with the kind of people who wouldn't just eat from the fruit of the forbidden tree, but would cut the fucking tree down and burn it for firewood." I look into Mallory's eyes, "I think you're made for the world, Mallory." I reach up to place a hand on her cheek, "I sense it in you."
"I want to leave." Mallory turns her head away from my hand.
"You're afraid." Michael smiles. "Aren't you? Of accepting who you are?"
"I don't know who I am."
"What do you mean?" I tilt my head.
"Sometimes... I feel like there's someone buried inside me. Someone trying to claw their way out."
I nod, "I understand that feeling."
"You do?"
"I do, but who is trying to claw their way out Mallory?"
"I don't know. I just want to go." Mallory looks around, I nod and stand, allowing Mallory to stand up, but as she moves quickly toward the door, Michael stops her. "Let me go."
Michael shakes his head, "don't be afraid, Mallory. We're offering you a chance to live."
"I said let me go!" As Mallory screams Michael is thrown back and the candles are blown out. Michael and I stare at Mallory in shock. Mallory gasps. Michael stands and lunges toward Mallory, but as he does the fire behind he flares up. Michael and I duck until the fire dies down. As it does, I relight the candles.
Mallory stands there panting as Michael stares at her in shock, "who are you?"
"I don't know. Who are you?" Mallory pulls the doors open and runs out of the room.
Michael turns to me and steps toward me, rather angrily. "She's a witch!"
"Why are you getting mad at me? You were the one who was supposed to wipe out the witches. I wiped out the Warlocks."
"You told me you sensed no witches."
"I didn't. I still don't."
"With that logic you did all that."
"Of course, I didn't." I shake my head, "maybe she doesn't know she's a witch."