Dolls Pt 3. and Epilog

[Doctor Amos]

It had been inside the face. A note, a tiny bit of script, with very detailed directions. Could trust no one. Hoffman splashed through the streets, his Hunters close behind. He usually felt invulnerable in his exo-armour, but this was different. He was shaking. He kicked open the door to... what must it have been once? A toymakers shop? The stalkers entered first and took flanking positions. Hoffman strode in after.

In the middle of the dusty room was a chair, and upon it seated with a clothed form. A large purple cloak draped around it, obscuring its features from view.

"Explain yourself!" Hoffman demanded. He emphasized his point by leveling the exo-suit's gun at the figure.

"I shall. I shall." The voice was hollow, wooden. Like an aethervox with a bad connection. "I... had to get your attention. We have a common interest."

"I'm in no mood for games." Hoffman was irate. The creature's hunched posture and lack of agressive stance was making him feel somewhat more confident.

"Your brother. I know where he is... I want to help you find him."

This statement stopped Hoffman. Pangs of guilt and flashes of memory surged in his mind. "What do you know of Ryle?" He asked. His gun was still ready, but his voice has lost its timbre of authority.

"This is the key to his cell. This... and your Guild seal." The figure lifted a hand, revealing a small silver key with a ram's head. "The location.... is here..." The thing lifted its other hand, revealing a strip of paper.

With a sudden flash, the Hunters released their chain weapons. The whirring clank reverberated in the empty room. The two harpoons struck home, piercing the figure through the chest. However, as it did so, the figure went limp; more limp than simply being stunned should have caused. As Hoffman approached, he knew what he would find. The cloak was empty, and only empty gloved hands clutched the once-held items.

______________________________

There was a satisfying “click” as the Guild seal snapped the lock open. The key had slid in without resistance, the seal turned the mechanism. What was behind the door, Hoffman did not know. A turning. A second of grating metal as the door swung wide.

Darkness there, and nothing more. An empty room.

“They moved him.” The voice was warm, sultry. Hoffman spun about as quickly as his armour would allow. “Your brother. They moved him. I was afraid of this.”

Hoffman strained his eyes to identify the figure in the dark.

“Miss… Dubois? The…. Entertainer? Why? No. It isn’t you. It just looks like her.” He raised his weapon menacingly.

“Easy, killer. It is me. Good instincts, though. It’ll save you in this city.” Hoffman relaxed a bit, but not much. “I’m… sorry for the duplicity. I sent you the dolls. I wasn’t sure you could be trusted. Now I am.”

“You?” Hoffman asked incredulously. Then a thought dawned upon him. “You killed those innocent girls?”

Collette laughed, the kind of unsettling laugh that only the truly beautiful can, made the more wretched for their beauty. “Innocent? Those were assassins. Guild trained sleeper agents. They were looking to kill me after I inserted my agent into the Guard offices. Their clothes conceal a panoply of killing devices. Luckily, my bodyguards disarmed them before they could use them. When they realized I would capture them for information, they bit down on a cyanide capsule and killed themselves. I believe the coroner’s report will show that they died from poisoning. Or, more likely, their bodies will mysteriously vanish.” Hoffman nodded, but was still very unsure. Collette cocked her head, sensing his hesitation. “We will find your brother. Together. I promise. I’ll… be in touch.” She smiled softly, then disappeared into a patch of shadows.

_____________________

Epilog

Hoffman sipped his tea gently. His Guild apartment was very nice, probably the nicest on a very nice block. Still, the still, empty room felt like a tomb, even with the nice fire he had gotten going. He set his mechanical quill to paper. He had been writing a journal since he arrived, trying to get his mind strait.

“I have made a new contact. They have shown interest in Ryle. I am not yet sure, however, if I can trust them. Their story may be true, but I cannot substantiate it. They may be a heartless murderer. Or a Neverborne monster. Or simply lying to me. I can’t know yet…” Hoffman sighed in quiet frustration. He turned. “What do you think?”

The slender, well-dressed figure looked at him with its bulgy, glassy eyes. It answered without so much as quivering the pulpy tentacles of its face. “Well I think they’re all crazy.”

Hoffman nodded in quiet consent.

Edited December 20, 2010 by Doctor Amos

[Doctor Amos]

Hm. My font changed and I don't know why. Oh, well.

[karn987]

Ha! I love it! Very nice again Doctor. *applauds*

[Doctor Amos]

I do enjoy writing about Hoffman. He's just so... new to it all. But still powerful. It's great.

[Dumb Luck]

So many guest appearances! I loved the one at the end - the whole thing between them now makesa little bit of sense.