Chapter 20: "If it goes, I go.

"What the fuck is that? Is that his arm?" Lemmy asked, peeking into the stall as Parker let go of the growth. It was steadily spreading, working it's way across the ceiling and floor. It seemed to be making a bee line for the drain sunken into the middle of the linoleum.

Aldon shrugged, "Does it look like I know? Make yourself useful and keep a lookout from the bathroom door. An don't try anything. I know your face sonny jim." He ordered, pulling Lemmy in close by the back of his neck.

Lemmy didn't need to be told twice. Once Aldon had let him go he stumbled over to the door and cracked it open. Everything seemed normal out in the dining area from what he could see. He couldn't make much out but the street looked about as busy as it normally did. He thought he could see the blue and red flashes of police lights, but when couldn't you in this city?

"I'm gonna have a look at your arm. Don't you dare throw up on me." Parker said, lightly slapping Harvel a few times. He was sweating and mumbling, continuously gulping down mouthfuls of his own saliva.

"Can you hear me? If you don't say anything I'm gonna start cutting that thing off of you." Parker said, holding his head steady to try and make eye contact. For a moment Harvels eyes focused on her, his face becoming clear and sober.

"Time and time again...thanked them, for a piece of mind. They helped me find... the music and the rhyme." He sang weakly, his eyes losing focus, and rolling back in his head as he trailed off. Parker let go of Harvels forehead and let his head loll back onto his shoulders.

"Shit! Well what the fuck is that supposed to mean?" She asked, furiously rubbing her brow in frustration. If she had that button she'd be pushing it right now.

"Who cares? Get to cutting him out already! I get the feeling we don't have much time." Aldon barked, arms crossed impatiently.

Parker grabbed the knife left suspended in the growth and pulled. It didn't come loose easily. She had to put nearly all of her strength into it just sliding the blade out an inch at a time. It was almost like whatever the stuff was it was squeezing down on the blade. With a final tug it came loose, causing Harvel to jolt upright before slumping back down onto the stall wall.

"Sorry in advance. This is probably gonna hurt." She said, giving Harvel a sympathetic look. He just sang something incoherent in response. She wasn't sure what he'd said but it sounded like; "Castles of stone... and glory. Lost faces... adore you."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The tips of Ashas fingers drummed against the side of her head, causing the image of Pho Saigon projected into her eyes to vibrate a bit. She'd seen Lemmy, Harvel and the pair of pilots slip into the bathroom nearly ten minutes ago. She checked her mental time sheet again. Maybe ten more minutes left until things got truly interesting.

She turned off the live feed and walked over to the window on the far side of her office. Staring out into the mass of whirring lights that formed the city of Boris Valka, she could practically see the restaurant from where she stood. She didn't have to see it actually, Asha knew exactly where it was. She knew exactly where everything was, and that was exactly how she liked it.

Asha paced back and forth waiting for the next step to take place. 'Cerise should be here any second now.' She thought, eyes still laser focused in the direction of the eatery. He could be quite needy when He wanted to be. The elevator door at the other end of her office slid open.

"Mrs. Meadows, a man named He wishes to see you in his office?" Her assistant Cerise said, stepping off of the elevator, keeping her eyes planted to the floor at Ashas feet. For a moment Asha kept pacing to see if Cerise's head would move along with her.

"Thank you Miss Nadir, and as I've mentioned before, you may look me in the eye when you speak to me. I get self conscious about people looking at my feet, that's why we had those websites shut down, remember?" Asha said as she walked past Cerise and into the private elevator.

"Yes ma'am, sorry, it's just that your previous aide left an email that said-" Cerise began, quickly following Asha as the doors started to shut.

"My previous aide was let go for posting the majority of what was found on those websites. I wouldn't take his advice if I were you." Asha interrupted, shooting a wry smile Cerises way. Asha leaned over and pressed on a little piece of the metal near the bottom corner of the panel. She held her finger on the seamless, unmarked button for a moment, then drew her hand back and wiped her finger on the pants of her suit.

She didn't enjoy using dna locks, the pain was bearable but the mess they left behind was annoying at the best of times. Cerise offered her the handkerchief she was using to clean off the panel but Asha waved her away. She'd already used her suit as a twenty thousand credit napkin, no sense in changing her mind now.

Cerise just stared bewildered. She knew how much that suit had cost, she'd been the one who'd ordered the tailoring. She had only been Mrs. Meadows aid for a few weeks, but she continued to be surprised with how little Mrs. Meadows could be concerned with money, yet so concerned with company finances.

"Cerise, as my assistant you are to know what to discuss outside of work and what not to, is that correct?" Asha asked, watching Cerise as she finished wiping blood off of every millimeter of the elevator panel.

"Yes ma'am, though I have a blanket policy of discussing nothing outside of these walls that occurs within them." Cerise replied, folding up the bloody handkerchief and slipping it back into her pocket.

"Good. Then there's nothing to worry about. What you are about to experience is never to leave the confines of this elevator. In fact, it is never to leave the confines of your own head, is that clear?" Asha asked, turning Cerise to face her.

"My own head, ma'am?" Cerise asked, eyes locked on Ashas hand still resting on her shoulder. This was only the second time she'd ever been physically touched while at work. The first had ended in a rather costly lawsuit.

"Yes, because, depending on the outcome of the next few days, someone in the near future may very well attempt to remove it through force. I need you to be ready for that." Asha explained, pressing the emergency stop button.

"This," Asha turned and pulled her hair back to show a little black square embedded behind her ear, "is a personal digital back up. Every memory from my birth until this moment is stored here if I need it. If I am killed, or if I indicate I am under enough duress, it will wipe itself. I've had it tied to my cognitive functions, if it goes, I go. I'm not asking you to do the same, but I want you to understand the gravity of this situation."

Cerise, ever the pragmatist asked, "And, if I say no?"

Asha smiled. "Then I let you off at the lobby, you go home, I write you a letter of recommendation so glowing future employers will suspect you've killed someone on my behalf. That's valuable in your line of work. Consider your answer carefully." She answered, checking her mental time sheet. Maybe another minute or two now.

Cerise mulled over her options for a moment. She'd worked incredibly hard for this position, pulling and scraping her way up the corporate ladder for the last seven years. When the news had come down that Mrs. Meadows' personal aide had been fired she'd nearly tripped on her way to submit her resume.

When she'd gotten the job itself she was surprised just how little work compared to her previous positions she'd had to do. Mrs. Meadows practically did everything herself. As an intern her duties had been so vast and numerous that she'd barely slept for the first year and a half. Now her only errands had more to do with Mrs. Meadows' husband than Mrs. Meadows herself.

She'd been told that they were some sort of power couple, dealing in souls and evil and the like. They'd certainly come off as an odd pair at first, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Most of her duties involved delivering fresh clothes to Mr. Greigs' garage, and dropping off lists of things for him to do. Exceptionally normal considering the lack of severed heads or briefcases filled with unmarked bills.

This moment was probably the only time she'd seen this side of Mrs. Meadows' business. The fact that she essentially had a dead-man switch in her brain was a bit of a leap in tone from delivering clean socks to her husband. Cerise took a deep breath and decided that if there were a time for questions, it was now.

"Just to clarify, there isn't some sort of magic circle down there made of the blood of virgins brought to sacrifice on the whim of some nameless evil god is there? Because, I feel inclined to let you know that I would be very much unqualified to be an integral part of that." Cerise asked, calmly facing Asha and firmly planting her feet.

Asha had to scratch the back of her head and look away to keep from laughing. Not at the question itself, it wasn't entirely irrelevant, but at the earnest nature with which it had been delivered. "No, I'm afraid not. That would be much easier though." She replied, cracking a little smile.

"Then I don't see any reason to tender my resignation at this time." Cerise affirmed, never taking her eyes off of Ashas.

Asha pulled the emergency stop back out and the pair felt the elevator resume it's descent. "Good to hear. Now, you're going to want to take this." She said, pulling a little plastic bag out of her pocket. There was a singular green and white pill resting in the corner.

"I've been offered pills by superiors before ma'am. I have a strict policy of turning them down." Cerise stated, a nervous tone leaking into her voice. This had quickly taken an even more unpleasant turn than before.

"Ah, well said, but I can assure you that this is meant to keep you conscious, not the other way around. I'll leave it up to you for now, but I'm sure you'll understand soon enough. Have a seat if you will. It's going to be a bit of a long ride." Asha said, putting a code into the panel, causing two seats to unfold from the wall of the elevator. A bottle of water had already been placed in the cup holder of the seat opposite Ashas.

As the two took their seats, Asha switched her implant back to the feed of Pho Saigon. She watched a familiar form make it's way into the dining area of the restaurant. 'Ah, the gang's all here.' She thought, clasping her fingers together and staring at nothing in particular. It wouldn't be long before the ball finally got rolling.