Darien Fawkes / Reader - Part 3
You woke up in the middle of night covered with cold sweat and not knowing where you were. You practically jumped out from the bed, scared of every sound and shadow and stormed into the bathroom. You had had a terrible nightmare about the terrorist, Arnaud de Föhn, who was trying to catch you because you had gotten involved in his businesses and he had lost plenty of money because of you. Sure you had been in trouble before, scared even, but you had never been this terrified.
It was eating you alive, from inside out, to be constantly afraid of getting caught and running for your life. You didn’t really call this lifestyle “life” because like this you had no future; you couldn’t make any plans for tomorrow since surviving one day at the time was as best as it got currently. If you were alive in the end of the day, it was an accomplishment already… but then there was a new day and the struggle started all over again. Actually nowadays it didn’t really matter whether it was night or day because you had to be constantly moving from a place to the next and therefore you only managed to sleep while in bus or train… that was, if you managed to relax enough to actually fall asleep. You took short naps and battled against sleep deprivation with caffeine pills but the hard fact was that you were running on fumes and getting dangerously near to the breaking point; if this went on for much longer, you would just give up and get caught.
You washed your face and stared at your reflection in the mirror. You had managed to sleep quite many hours tonight but it was nowhere near to wipe away the lack of sleep from the previous long weeks. It was not morning yet but you knew that it would soon be and therefore you had to make a choice; would you stay until Darien woke up and let the agency that he worked for to help you and vice versa, or would you decide to take your bag and leave? It was a difficult decision to make because on the other hand you wanted to stay and rest… hell, you wanted to see if there could be a future for you and Darien… he after all was a very kind, generous and handsome guy… but then again he was not exactly the man you had once known.
Oh no, Darien had indeed changed… or his personality had not but his life was completely different from what it had been and therefore you weren’t sure if you wanted to pull him down into the steaming hot pile of shit that you were in, or if you could even trust him to have your back. Darien was working for the government now, he was able to turn invisible and went insane if he didn’t get an antidote. Thos were big changes and due to them you didn’t know whom your friend’s loyalty belonged to. Sharing the same enemy didn’t automatically make you his friend and even being friends in the past didn’t really make you friends with him either.
Besides, Darien, whether you liked it or not, had his own personal reasons to catch Arnaud, the man who had killed Darien’s brother, Kevin, and even though you wanted to trust Darien, you didn’t know whether it would be wise or not. Revenge and one’s feeling of being entitled to seek for it were great motivators and they sometimes pushed people to make stupid decisions and this made you wonder if you were placed into a situation where Darien had to choose between you and getting even with Arnaud, you wouldn’t be so sure which one he would choose. You after all had not seen Darien for a very long time and even though Darien and Kevin had not been that close, Kevin was still Darien’s brother and therefore it was understandable that Darien wanted Arnaud to pay for what he had done.
You sat down on the closed toilet seat and closed your eyes as you sighed deep and dropped your head. The other thing that made you hesitate about the smartness of accepting help from Darien was that by doing so you potentially put your old friend into a serious danger as well. Like Darien had explained to you, Arnaud had modified the invisibility gland to keep anyone who had one in a short leash, hence the insanity called Quicsilver Madness, and the antidote was needed to prevent it. This meant that since all the research data had been destroyed and the only person who had known how to create the quicksilver gland and take it out without killing the host in the process... had died… Nope, not “died”… killed. Well anyway, the bottom line was that Arnaud wanted to get to Darien just as eagerly as Darien wanted to get to him.
Arnaud wanted the gland to replicate it and then sell it to the terrorists who would then come to him for the counteragent, which was an excellent business deal and fit Arnaud’s criminal portfolio perfectly. It just meant that Arnaud had to get to Darien first… to get the gland so he could remove it, which would kill Darien because the only person who had known how to do it safely was now dead… so basically you were putting Darien into a great danger if you accepted his help and let him tag along.
You couldn’t do it, you couldn’t put Darien in danger for your safety and therefore you had to go. It had been a mistake to contact Darien and get him involved with this mess but it was not too late to stop him from following you deeper into the rabbit hole that seemed to have no light in the end of the tunnel. There simply was no end… just an endless pitch-black darkness as far as an eye could see. No, you didn’t want to get Darien dragged into it with you and therefore the only right thing to do was to leave… now… in the middle of the night… without saying a word.
You however knew that if you left now, it would be the end of the friendship for sure. Leaving without giving any explanation would be such a dick-move that Darien would surely get offended, rightfully so, and there would be no way to patch things up with him later. It would also mean that there would be no future with him… none despite the chemistry and your history… despite the fact that you and he had been close friends once… so if you left now, you would have to kiss all that goodbye… although it wouldn’t most likely matter anyway because Arnaud would get you sooner or later and that would be the end of you.
You felt a sting in your heart; Darien clearly cared for you and it was obvious that he wanted you in his life… so it would deeply hurt him if you left now… but it would also hurt him if he lost you like he had lost his brother. “Stupid… so stupid!” you shouted in whispers and rubbed your forehead as you still sat on the closed toilet seat. You had no idea how long you had been in Darien’s bathroom but you knew that you had to get moving if you were going to run away. You sneaked out from the bathroom and after making sure that Darien was still asleep, you changed your clothes, wrote a short note for Darien and then took your bag and left his cozy apartment.
You stopped to reconsider your actions just ss you were about to close the door behind you. You stood silently in the hallway of Darien’s apartment building and then pushed the door shut as cautiously as you could, careful not to wake Darien up. You heard the lock making a soft clicking-sound and sighed because this meant that there was no going back anymore; you had made your choice and now you had to just live with your actions. You walked out from the apartment building and headed towards the city center while constantly looking around to see if you were being followed.
Darien recoiled from his dreams slowly, enjoying the coolness of the room and the softness of the sheets of his bed. The sun was already quite high up in the sky but since it was his day off from work, he was not in any hurry to get up from bed… especially now that he had you sleeping next to him. Darien listened to the sounds of the city with his eyes closed but soon he realized that his apartment was completely silent… a bit too silent to be exact. He opened his eyes, rolled on his side, expecting to see you sleeping next to him but he was greeted by an empty side of the bed. He pressed his hand against the pillow you had slept with… it was cold and it meant that you had left the bed quite a while ago. Darien got up, walked to the door of his bathroom and knocked it softly while calling your name. There however was no answer so he opened the door and looked inside. Nothing. Just an empty bathroom.
- Oh crap! Darien cursed because he instantly noticed that your clothes, shoes as well as your bag were gone. Then Darien saw the note you had written and left on the kitchen counter just before leaving. He read it trough many time, mumbling the words half aloud while walking nervously around in his apartment and then sat down on his sofa to understand the reasons behind your actions. The note you had left him didn’t really explain anything… you just basically apologized for leaving without saying goodbye as well as for causing any trouble and thanked Darien for giving you a moment to breathe.
Darien changed his pajama pants into proper clothes and stormed out from his apartment, got into his car, drove to his work-partner Bobby Hobbes and banged his door until Hobbes came to open the door. “We have a situation” Darien stated as he walked in past Hobbes who was still half asleep, stormed into the kitchen and made a pot of extra strong coffee. Then he explained Hobbes everything; the history between you and Darien, how you had gotten into an argument and walked into different directions… and finally… how you had gotten into trouble with…
- Arnaud de Föhn? Hobbes asked and sipped his coffee now that it was not too hot anymore. “Tell me, where have I heard that name before?” he asked after swallowing a mouthful of the extra-strong and very bitter coffee. He gestured Darien to hand him the sugar and then added three tablespoons of it into the black liquid.
- The guy who killed my brother. Darien commented and leaned back in his chair as he sighed deep.
- Oh, I see. Hobbes said and then continued “So, let me get this straight. Your girlfriend… who is a criminal… got in trouble with a man that killed your brother.” Hobbes sounded pretty amused and then he chuckled “Whoa” into his coffee mug.
- Well, she’s not my girlfriend… but… yes. Darien said and after a brief pause continued with a frustrated voice “I mean, she could be… there was a spark… I like her… a lot... and I believe the feeling is mutual.”
- So why did she leave? Hobbes asked and put the coffee mug on the table. He was not exactly happy about the fact that Darien’s old partner in crime was back and therefore he had no interest whatsoever to get involved with the mess… even though it offered a great opportunity to avenge the death of Darien’s brother. Darien after all was Hobbes’ friend and Hobbes was very loyal towards his friends, besides Darien had saved his ass… a couple of times… and Hobbes had saved Darien’s ass more times than one could remember… according to Hobbes anyway.
- I think there are two possible reasons for that. Darien replied and after Hobbes had asked “Oh yeah, what are they?” he explained with a slightly pensive tone “Well, (Y/N) doesn’t either want me to get into trouble or she doesn’t trust me anymore.” Hobbes was silent for a moment, rubbed his head and tapped the surface of his kitchen table with his middle finger.
- An interesting story, buddy, but I still do not understand why you had to wake me up. Hobbes said and emptied the mug, Darien however filled it instantly because Hobbes still seemed quite tired and Darien needed him on his A-game.
- Because we need to track my phone down. Darien said and gestured Hobbes to empty the mug so they could get on with it.
- Did you lose your phone? Hobbes asked and then added with an annoyed tone “Did someone steal it?”
- Not exactly. Darien replied with a smirk. Hobbes emptied his coffee mug, grabbed a chocolate bar and changed his clothes while Darien waited for him in the entrance hall and counted the passing minutes nervously. He asked Hobbes to hurry up and to take his smart phone with him because Darien needed it to track down his phone. Then finally after fifteen long minutes Hobbes had gotten dressed and they, Darien and Hobbes, left Hobbes’ apartment, got into Darien’s car and headed towards the only location that made sense.
You looked nervously around, trying to find the platform nine where there was a train leaving towards the west coast in few minutes. You had decided to leave Darien’s hometown and to get as far as you possibly could without actually leaving the country; the thing was that you couldn’t leave a trace and therefore you had no other choice than to crisscross in the States by train and busses. It was the rush hour at the train station and therefore you had to really fight your way through the crowds of people to get to the right place in time. You scanned the screens and signposts and finally got an idea where you had to go.
- Stop right there! you heard a man shouting at you when you finally arrived to the platform nine. You turned to look behind you and saw a middle-aged partially bald man pointing his gun at you. The train was leaving in few seconds and therefore the platform was basically empty from other passengers. The man was wearing a brown suit with a white shirt under it and he looked like a member of mafia or a shady private investigator. You cursed and raised your hands up while you still kept walking cautiously towards the train.
- I said, stop! he shouted and pointed his gun up to the skies. He shot one warning shot and then pointed the gun at you again.
- What the fuck! you shouted and stopped immediately. You could hear a couple of people screaming and running away and at that moment the train’s door closed and the vehicle started slowly move forward.
- Nobody messes up with Bobby Hobbes. the man said, walked to you, grabbed your arm and put his gun away.
- Bobby Hobbes? you asked with a confused voice. “Is that supposed to mean something?” you asked as you were being walked away from the platform.
- Bobby Hobbes… that’s me. Hobbes said with a defensive tone. Apparently Darien had not mentioned his best buddy to his potential girlfriend, which was basically an insult towards the great Bobby Hobbes… in Hobbes’ opinion at least.
- Right. So you’re one of those people who talks about themselves in third persona. you mumbled and then stated with a sarcastic tone “Yeah, this makes perfect sense now.”
- He is my friend.
You turned around and first you couldn’t see anything but an empty train platform behind you. Then you saw something glimmering in the sunshine, like ice… in a form of a man and then the thing changed into flakes that fell down to the ground. “Darien” you sighed and wrenched yourself free from Hobbes’ grasp. Darien had actually run to the platform before you, turned invisible and jumped into the train just in case you had gotten there already and when he had heard the gunshot, he had immediately stormed out from the train.
- How did you track me down? you asked with a puzzled voice.
- Give me your bag. Darien said and extended his hand to you. You handed your bag reluctantly to the tall man in front of you and watched him taking his phone out from the side pocket. “What-the-f” you mumbled half aloud.
- I had a feeling that you might run so I put my phone into your bag while you were in the bathroom. Darien explained. You sighed and shifted your gaze elsewhere for a few seconds.
- Wait… if you woke up… then why didn’t you say anything? you asked with a confused tone and shifted your eyes back to Darien.
- Woke up? Darien asked with a puzzled tone that made it quite apparent that he had no idea what you were talking about. After a brief silence he added “No, in the evening.”
- Okay kids, this is fun but you realize that we are here out in the open, right? Hobbes spoke while scanning the surroundings over his sunglasses, which was a gesture that made him look even shadier in your eyes. Darien rolled his eyes and said
- Oh yeah, this is Hobbes-
- Agent Hobbes. Hobbes corrected Darien with an arrogant tone and took a long look at you from head to toes with a sardonic and somewhat disrespectful look on his face. Darien grabbed Hobbes’ arm and dragged him a few steps further away from you. “Don’t be a jerk, Hobbes” Darien said and after explaining to Hobbes very quickly that you hacked mainly bad guys which kind of made you one of the good guys, Hobbes straightened his suit and reluctantly smiled at you.
- Bobby Hobbes. he said and nodded. “A friend of Darien’s is a friend of mine” he said and offered his hand to you for a handshake. You hesitated for a moment and took a quick glance at Darien who nodded at you. Then you took a deep breath and shook Hobbes’ hand as a sign of truce. You introduced yourself and then stated with a slightly nervous tone “Hobbes is right. It is dangerous to stay here.” You kept glancing at the security cameras and oh-boy was the station filled with them!
- Thank you! Hobbes said and continued by mumbling “Finally someone admits that Bobby Hobbes is right” to which Darien responded with an eye-roll and a deep, theatrical sigh which was partially a groan.
You followed Darien and Hobbes through the busy train station while listening to the argument between the two agents. It was apparent that they shared a kind of love-hate –connection… a sort of friendship that usually worked but sometimes drove both of them insane. You also deduced that Hobbes was a smart guy but he was a bit paranoid and had a peculiar personality… something that was on the edge of being mentally a bit… off… but mostly… Hobbes was a trustworthy guy who had seen a lot during his career.
- You do realize that it was a risky move to put your phone into my bag, don’t you? you asked Darien when there finally was a gap in the conversation-slash-argument between the two men.
- Well, sure, but I wouldn’t have been able to track you otherwise. Darien commented casually.
- Yeah, obviously. you admitted and then continued by stating “But if you were able to track me… it means that Arnaud might have done the same.”
- That’s why I brought backup. Darien said and pointed at Hobbes who was walking two meters ahead from you. You stopped walking suddenly and burst into laughter. Darien and Hobbes stopped as well and turned to look at you.
You couldn’t believe it; Darien’s plan had been to track you down no matter of the risks and then his opinion of a sufficient backup was… Hobbes… an agent with some mental-health issues and an overly large ego… and Darien… a sweet and very smart guy but when it came to anonymity and online security, he just had no clue! Darien and Hobbes stared at you while you kept laughing almost hysterically and every time you managed to calm down, you took one look at the two agents and burst into laughter again.
- What is so funny? Hobbes asked with a slightly offended tone. It was quite apparent that you were laughing at them, which was somewhat offensive considering that they had come to help you and despite their noble intentions you were being an ungrateful jerk and mocking them with disrespectful laughter.
- How did you track the phone exactly? you asked after finally calming down. You stared at the two guys, waiting for them to say something and then added “Please tell me there is a top-secret app from the agency... and not-“
- GPS. Darien replied and brushed his hair with his fingers.
- GPS. Right. you commented.
- Oh-no-no! You still have to login to the personal account to use the service to find your lost phone. Hobbes stated, imagining that it would make a difference.
- Aha. you commented and tried to stop yourself from calling Hobbes and Darien complete idiots. “So, please tell me that you turned off the GPS…” you said and took a deep breath before continuing “…When you took the phone out from my bag” you said after filtering out the insults you otherwise would have fired towards the guys. “Oh crap” Darien said and took the phone out from the pocket of his jacket. He turned off the GPS without commenting anything. You rolled your eyes rubbed your chin nervously.
- This is Arnaud de Föhn, guys! you exclaimed with a whisper and then added “For fuck sake!”
- We… we know. Darien stammered.
- I’m sure Fawkes has a strong password. Hobbes said and then asked “Don’t you, Fawkes?” to which Darien responded with a reassuring nod. “A combination of letters and numbers” Darien stated with a confident tone after recalling his password.
- Ah… in that case! you stated with a relieved tone. “Yeah, I told you it would be okay” Hobbes commented and then you snapped with a deeply frustrated tone “Your passwords mean nothing to Arnaud.”
The fact was that Arnaud and the army of his hacker minions had managed to hunt you down even though you had operated mainly through deep web and used all available methods to protect your identity. However despite your knowledge on the subject of online security and best efforts to cover your tracks, Arnaud had managed to find out who you were and most importantly where you were. After that following you had been fairly easy because the cities were filled with security cameras and the only reason you had managed to stay under the radar was that you had kept changing location, kept your face hidden from the cameras and abandoning all devices that could be used to track you down, including tablets, smart phones and bank-cards.
- It is a miracle that Arnaud has not caught you already, Darien. you commented and shook your head with great disbelief on your face. “Come on, let’s go” you added and gestured the men to lead the way.
You got to the parking lot where Darien’s car had been parked to the furthest corner. There were no other cars around it which didn’t really surprise you at all; all the normal people had parked their cars as close to the station as they could but not Darien and Hobbes. Maybe it was good… in case Arnaud showed up… and you really had to escape the scene quickly. Suddenly you heard a loud screeching sound and when you turned to look what was causing the sound, you saw a black SUV stopping right behind you and a three men wearing black suits and sunglasses jumping out from the car, two of them carrying AK47-machine guns.
- Oh crap! Darien sighed when he realized that one of the guys was no one else but Arnaud de Föhn, the self-proclaimed genius… the criminal mastermind who had ruined Darien’s life and ruined many other’s lives as well.
- So… what a pleasant surprise. Arnaud said with his Swiss accent. “I had a feeling that I would get lucky today but…” he said and took quick glance at you before focusing his gaze back to Darien. “…I didn’t guess that I would get this lucky” he spoke with a tone that was filled with amusement and astonishment.
Yes, Arnaud de Föhn had gotten lucky indeed; his hackers had managed to trace your location during the night and then they had accidentally found out that you were staying at Darien’s place by catching a glimpse of you and Darien driving through the city to Darien’s place, location unknown. After that it had been very easy because all Arnaud had basically done was to trace Darien’s phone, using the “Find my phone” –feature and voila, he had managed to catch you both. Arnaud de Föhn ordered his men to shoot Hobbes and escort you and Darien into his car…