Chapter 5

Menace took a sip from the cup of coffee in her hand. It has been a long day. After hearing long stories from Nick, she felt so tired she stormed out of the shop to catch her breath. Nick told her important things regarding matters such as an organization trying to bring out Wesens and letting the whole world know about them named Black Claw, along with another organization trying to take them all down which are the ones trying to recruit both of them by sending tests in the body of deadly Hundjagers, thirsty for blood.

It turned out, the three men who attacked her that night were all Hundjagers. Whoever called her that night also called Nick. Both of them were given tests to check out whether they are ready for what is coming.

Menace let out a sigh, feeling tired from just thinking about how she got herself involved in an upcoming war. Not that she was regretting anything. She didn't meet her mother, but she's meeting more people who know her. One of them is Nick, the cousin Menace met a few days ago.

"You doing okay?" She lifts her head, nodding at Nick as he takes the sit across her. "We've all talked about where to let you stay."

"Nick, I told you. I can take care of myself. I can just rent a room again." Nick shakes his head at her response.

"I talked to everyone about it and we all agree that it's too dangerous for you to be alone. If three Hundjagers attack you whether it's a test or not, it just means that the Black Claw has somewhat got an idea that there's another Grimm in town."

A woman arrives at their table, placing another cup of coffee in front of Nick. She turns to Menace who smiles as she watches her place a plate of cupcakes on the table.

"Just call for someone if you need anything else." the woman said, smiling at both Menace and Nick before leaving.

"So, what do I have to do now?" Nick swallows the last sip of his coffee before standing up from his seat, dropping a few dollars on the table before Menace can.

"For now, you're coming with me back to the precinct."

★

Menace looks around the precinct as she follows Nick toward his desk, remembering when she witnessed a Coyotl kill, Xavier. She mumbles a thank you when Nick grabs her a seat just beside his table, across from where Hank is currently sitting.

"What am I doing here?" Menace asked, confused as she watch officers do their jobs.

"We decided to have you work here," Nick answered, swirling around in his chair to face the office behind him.

Menace followed his gaze and meet eye-to-eye with the tall man she saw with the others before. The man nodded at her, before looking down at the file in his hand.

"Work? What do you mean work?" she looks back at Nick, who started typing something on the laptop in front of him.

"Don't worry. It's not official. We'll just have the others know that you're an Intern so that we can have you here with us with no questions."

"Wait." Menace started, noticing pictures on top of Nick's table. Images of dead bodies. Dead bodies of the three men she killed the night before. Along with two more pictures of dead men, she doesn't recognize. "Why is this here?"

"We're investigating who they are, and why are they the ones sent for us," Nick answered, giving the two pictures of the other two bodies. "These are the ones I had to kill." Menace, look at the pictures once again, trying to think if she ever saw them before, but nothing came to her mind.

"Located rented cars that we matched to the victims, but the ID used to rent the cars was stolen. So were the credit cards." Wu started, glancing at Menace who only nodded at him.

"Hey, Nick."

All of their heads turn to look at the voice, in time to see Trubel walking towards them. Menace noticed the bruised on her left eye, which she wondered how the latter got, not that it was her business.

"Hey, Hank. Hey, Wu. Hey..." Menace look at the woman, and smiles.

"Menace."

"Trubel." 

They both shake each other's hands. After that, Trubel looks back at Nick. Sitting on the edge of the table with a helmet on her side. Menace was left zoning out and thinking about how oddly iconic their names are. Trouble and Menace.

"Oh, and, um, Meisner called. That's why I'm here." Menace turns to look at them once again, suddenly intrigued about what's going on. "He wants to talk to you, and to the other one, he said."

"What?" Nick blurted out as if he can't believe it.

"I don't know who he means with the other one though." All of them, aside from Trubel, turned to look at Menace, who quickly understood what they were trying to imply.

"When does he want to meet?"Nick asked, standing from his seat, followed by Menace. One look from Trubel and she quickly understood who the other one Meisner was talking about.

"Now." Nick glanced at Menace, who nodded at him. After that, they're back on the road.

★

It took them an hour and a half to arrive in a remote place, located deep in the woods. Menace ride with Nick in his car, since driving another car is not only a hassle but will also catch attention. Something they are avoiding with all their might.

With Trubel in front of them, leading the way, they arrive with no problem in the embodiment of Wesens.

They entered what looked like an underground tunnel. The metal doors close behind them as they step out of the car. The lights turned off, and new ones lit up.

"We're not alone," Nick spoke up, looking around.

"We're not. Someone's in the corner." Menace stated, looking ahead of her. Nick and Trubel look at her confused, before also looking ahead.

"You're right. You're not."

Stepping out of the shadow is a man with a bigger build than Nick, but the same height. Menace's eyes met his, along with confusion on his face which he just shrugged off after.

"There was no other way." the man started, which Menace already figured out to be Meisner. After all, he was the one who wants to meet them from what Trubel told them back at the precinct. "But you two prove yourself."

"To who?" Nick responded, meeting the man's eyes.

"Eve."

"I don't even know who Eve is." Menace chimes in, earning glances from everyone, also breaking the tension that was in the air.

Meisner gave her one more look before turning his back, the other following behind him as he enters an elevator. He waited for everyone to get in, his eyes meeting Menace's once again when the latter looked at him to watch what he was about to do next.

Shrugging off her watching eyes, he remained standing in the corner. His eyes are glued ahead as the elevator ascends.

Once the elevator opened, all Menace could think of was Maximum Prison. Ahead of them are several rooms resembling max security cells that are all adjacent to a long hallway.

They pass through a metal fence door opened by a man standing guard on the other side, a gun slung on his shoulders. Trubel went ahead on the first door to the right. Opening it, and going inside.

Menace and Nick are left behind.

Menace watch as Trubel put down her helmet on the bed, fixing the cover in a hurry as Nick slowly enters with her behind.

"This is my room," Trubel uttered, watching Nick's reaction.

Ahead of them, in the wall, are varieties of guns. Rifles, machine guns, Glocks, pistols, knives, and arrows. Nick stops in front of them, Menace standing on his side eyeing all the weapons with amusement.

"This is where they put you," Nick stated, turning around to face Meisner who remained standing behind.

"This is where they put all of us." Meisner followed.

"Who is 'they'?" Nick asked, intently waiting for an explanation. Menace, on the other hand, remained in awe at the weapons.

She picks up a hunting knife, carefully caressing the smooth black edge of it. Smiling as the light reflected on its blade. She always wanted one, but her Uncle wouldn't give her one with the same detail.

"Branch of the Federal Government. Don't try to find it. It doesn't exist." Meisner answered with the same serious look on his face.

"So I supposed we've never seen any of this," Nick remarks, his eyes meeting Menace for she also knows what that means. "Where's Eve?" he continued, this time looking at Trubel, who looks at Meisner.

The latter motioned his head for Nick to follow him. Nick looks at Trubel once again, waiting for her to do something.

"I'll be here, Nick," she said.

"I think I'll just wait for you here too. Looks like you need to do this alone." Nick nodded at Menace, before following Meisner out of the room.

Once the men were gone, Menace turn to look at Trubel.

"Can I keep this?" she asks, earning an amused smile from the other.

"Sure."

"Thanks," she muttered, slipping the knife with its sheath on her waist.

"So, you a Grimm too?" Trubel asks, watching Menace as she takes a sit on the bed.

"Yeah. I guess you are too from what I've gathered about how you and Nick communicate. Is Meisner a Grimm too?" Menace asks, unconsciously looking at the bruises on the other's face.

"No. He's not." Menace only nodded, looking around the room once again.

"Is it okay to ask what you do here?" Menace asks once more, this time, looking intently into Trubel's eyes.

"Training. Meisner trains me to be ready to take on the Wesens that Black Claw sends and will send on my way to prevent me from stopping them." Trubel answered.

"Black Claw... the organization that wants to bring Wesens out in the light for people to discover, right?"

"Yes, them. And they don't care about anything. They can do anything they want without anyone knowing. The ones who tried or tries to get in their way were taken care of." Menace nodded, looking at all the guns once again.

"Must be tough?" Menace stated, looking at the bruises on Trubel's face, which the latter noticed and just smile at.

"Yeah... How about you? How did you get involved?" Menace stand up from sitting on the bed, went to the wall of guns, and pick an automatic pistol. Then she started disassembling them.

"I live in Idaho. I've been searching for my biological mother for years now after a Manticore murdered my adoptive ones. You know them?" the other only nodded, giving her a slight smile that shows sympathy in her eyes. "Well, turns out, my Mom is Nick's aunt on his mother's side. So, that made him my cousin."

"Wow. That's news." Trubel remarked, clearly surprised.

It didn't take long for Nick and Meisner to come back. This time, a familiar woman standing behind the two men. 

"Welcome to Portland, Grimm." 

Menace's eyes meet the woman's as she remembers the night she followed Nick and the others  She was the woman whom she met that night before Nick caught her, about to run.

The woman nodded at her, before turning back, Nick and Meisner following suit. Menace let Trubel go first before following all of them to a much larger room. A big screen hanging on the wall, in the center of the room. People type on computers as news around the world plays on the screen. Menace concluded that it must be the control room.

She and Nick listen as Meisner mentions countries where Wesen uprisings are hot, and when she says a lot, it's a lot. They explained to both of them how they concluded that the Wesen's uprisings were a movement to dominate the world. A world run by Wesens. The thought made Menace shudder.

They also told them that their help is needed because they are Grimms. Menace thought of denying them for a moment, after all, she went there to search for her mother, not to join in a worldwide war against Wesens. But then again, her mother is dead, and if she's right, her mother is the same as she is, a Grimm. She won't be doing it just because it is who they are, but also because she doesn't want what happened to her adopted parents to happen to more innocent people.

She made up her mind.

She's a Grimm, and this is her fight too.