FIC: In the Arms of the Wicked, 26/36 (Ian/OMC, OCs, PG-13)
Title: "Wanted"
Series: In the Arms of the Wicked, Part 26/36
Characters: Ian/OMC, OCs.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Ian and Dr. Farrow meet the cult.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything (characters, situations, etcetera) except my OCs.
Beta: The fantastic twins_m0m and the great lillyg.
Previous chapters: Click here.
Previous chapter
Next chapter
26: Wanted
Her footsteps sounded feminine and confident as she walked towards the gate of the stunning mansion. There, the cult’s next reunion was going to take place, and she was determined to attend.
Phoenix was a weird city for this organization to meet. However, a restricted area like this place would do. She just hoped that if Sergio was there, he hadn’t found out about her plans.
Lillian arranged her mask and tried to be careful not to ruin her new dress. It was very simple and formal, different from her usual fancy clothes - garments no one would expect her to wear. She had found that with the expensive mask on she looked like a complete stranger when she looked in the mirror, yet still appeared as someone who could easily mix among the members of the cult.
Leaving her Horus-eye necklace at the cheap hotel she was staying in was hard, but she had to be careful. She had a goal, a purpose, and she was going to go for it no matter what or how long it took. She’d find Richard and luckily, no one would recognize her during her journey to the dark side of high class society.
When she reached the gate, she got ready to meet the man in tuxedo that was there to screen guests. Lillian took out a little fan from her purse and waved it across her face as she slowly showed him the tattoo she had on her chest.
Without a word, the man took a look at the area near her right breast and nodded. Access was granted to her and she stepped onto the large property. There were luxurious cars - Rolls Royse, Ferraris and BMWs - perfectly parked along the sides of the entrance. A long path guided her towards the giant mansion doors, and when she was close enough, they opened for her.
The glow of the golden interior had always made her uncomfortable. She really hated this use of money - thousands of dollars spent in fancy decorations and expensive clothes, exotic food and exclusive waiters that walked around offering strange drinks.
Everyone’s masks were in their place, gracefully hiding each member’s face. As she walked around, Lillian wished she knew some of their identities; however, anonymity was one of the secret society’s rules, and the masquerade provided that secrecy. They held their cups of fine wine high, sometimes making a little toast, sometimes just waiting with anxiety for the main moment to come.
Colleagues in obsession, guests talked about science, doctrines and the knowledge that lay in the past. Truth diggers, visionaries, liars - all of them here, blinded.
She’d once been part of the craziness. She’d devoted herself to this, even if she considered it to be only an interesting experience and not a reason to put aside the rest of her beliefs.
But just like the missing factor in the Horus-eye fractions was supposed to make scribes see the light, the cult had showed her the truth. The Leader was the biggest trickster.
Trying to mix, Lillian accepted a glass of wine from a butler’s tray and barely tasted the liqueur’s flavor. Conversations were different now. The topic had changed.
The familiar British accent of an old man and a young lady caught her attention first.
“They got him,” he was saying.
“Who?”
“The traitor. The one we’ve been looking for so long.”
The glass almost slipped from her fingers. Her lips were dry as she kept listening.
“Is he here?”
“According to the latest news, he is. And he’s not alone… They found the accomplice - the person who helped him to get his hands on the antiques.”
Licking her lips, Lillian waited. If these people were right, something big would happen that night and she’d have to stop it. Old matters never died for this cult, especially when they were about betrayal.
She didn’t have to wait for long. Soon one of the leaders, an old, blonde man with a ruby ring lifted his cup, asking for silence. Everyone got quiet and turned to him with respect. Lillian mimicked them, just like she’d always done. Fitting in had never been so important.
“Dear friends and colleagues, welcome,” he said with a charismatic voice. “I hope you are all having an excellent evening.” With elegance, he raised his cup a bit more. “I am extremely pleased to see so many familiar faces.” The joke made some of the guests smile wickedly. “As you all know, this is a place for us to interact and share - a place for discovery, for faith in the knowledge of the Egyptian civilization. But tonight is a special occasion.”
People moved in their places. Looking impatient, they remained silent.
The Leader continued. “I know there have been rumors about tonight’s reappearance of an old friend or ours, so let’s not hold back this reunion anymore.” Smiling, he got closer to a big, golden door that was behind him and announced, “Welcome Dr. Christopher Farrow and his bodyguard, Mr. Ian Edgerton.”
The doors opened and with hands and ankles cuffed, the prisoners were thrown into the room by two strong men dressed in brown. Their skin was shiny from the sweat and their eyes weren’t exactly clear. Lillian covered her mouth as she realized that they’ve been given some kind of drug. She’d been expecting this to happen, but having it in front of her eyes was completely different.
“Here they are,” the Leader announced again, opening his arms. “The traitors!” That made the others excited. The once quiet guests started cursing at Chris and Ian as they tried to get up from the floor and kneel without falling.
But words were coming out of the archeologist’s mouth. “No… no… you’re the traitor…”
“What?”
Everyone went silent again.
“What did you say?” the Leader asked again, turning to Chris. “You are a disrespectful, filthy sinner. How dare you raise your voice against us when we opened our arms for you, when we offered you knowledge and wisdom?” He left his drink with one of the waiters and extended his hand. “Give it to me.”
A man with a white mask came close and handed him a long object. When Lillian could see what it was, she gasped. The Leader had control over a whip now, and he was going to torture the traitors just like ancient pharaohs tortured their slaves when they didn’t obey.
“Let’s show this traitor what the rage of the Gods has decided as the punishment he deserves,” he added, and the group of followers raised their glasses in massive approval. However, his supposed justice wasn’t immediately applied to the traitors. Instead, he stood in front of Chris and Ian and played with his whip. The Leader looked to his left, as if he was searching for someone. When he didn’t seem to find that person, he turned to face his preys again.
Defiant, Chris put his head high, locking eyes with the Leader. Words sounded rough when he muttered, “It’s all about the money.”
The blonde man’s lips tensed; his fingers wrapped tighter around the whip. He was about to perform his little show for the eager audience when a familiar voice asked, “Let me.”
The people in the room turned to a dark corner, and from the shadows, Sergio emerged. Watching him walk towards the prisoners, Lillian held her breath and her rage.
“Sergio… You’re dead,” Chris muttered from the floor.
Sergio’s words came out slow and teasingly. “For some reason, I don’t think so.” He took the whip from the Leader’s hand and his eyes went from his boss to Ian. “Now we’ll see what hurts you the most.”
Chris’ voice shouted, “No, don’t do that! He doesn’t have anything to do with…!”
There was nothing he could do. The whip hit Ian’s skin with a clean sound, marking - burning - his taut skin. He trembled and his muscles contracted visibly, but never let out a cry of pain. From time to time, he squeezed his eyes in shock.
With horror, Lillian watched the scene. Her entire body trembled at the thought of what those injuries would feel like. If only they knew. Lillian restrained herself from doing justice right then and there. But it would be worthless. Staring at the infinite power the Leader seemed to have on his cult and at Sergio’s stupidity, she felt anger flow through her veins. Bastard. It’s all about the money.
Finally, apparently tired of taking advantage of the prisoners, Sergio stopped and threw the whip to the floor. Then he knelt down beside Chris and cupped his face. “I think you’re in big trouble, Chris…”
“I’m FBI, so I’d say you’re in bigger trouble,” Ian responded with a rough voice, as he breathed hard. The crowd started whispering.
“Silence!” a tall, dark-haired man demanded, taking a step forward and facing the Leader and Sergio. “FBI? Is this true? Because it’s not what we’ve arranged!” A chorus of “What is this?” and “This is outrageous!” followed.
“Take these two and lock them in the dressing room,” Sergio muttered to the men dressed in brown that had brought Ian and Chris. They took the prisoners and forced them out until the doors closed and Lillian couldn’t see them anymore.
The usually well organized situation was out of control. People wanted answers, and as researchers, they couldn't risk their reputations if they were found out to be part of a cult. “Oh, don’t believe these sinners’ lies… They are a hideous blasphemy we can not tolerate!”
The scandal didn’t end there, but luckily for Lillian, it’d give her plenty of time to start making some real justice. With the chaos as a distraction, she was soon able to slip through one of the several doors and into a very long corridor. She remembered being in it once before; the corners were as dark now as they used to be, but that didn’t stop her.
She found the Leader’s room in the same place she’d found it two years ago, while investigating a lead regarding Chris’ lover, Louis Terrence. It was great news that the Leader didn’t want any cell phones on during the meetings, and that for once he himself followed one of the group’s rules.
Her device called for her to touch it. She grabbed it, and quickly dialed 911, determined to change the course of the case for once and for all.
This madness has to stop!
Series: In the Arms of the Wicked, Part 26/36
Characters: Ian/OMC, OCs.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Ian and Dr. Farrow meet the cult.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything (characters, situations, etcetera) except my OCs.
Beta: The fantastic twins_m0m and the great lillyg.
Previous chapters: Click here.
Previous chapter
Next chapter
26: Wanted
Her footsteps sounded feminine and confident as she walked towards the gate of the stunning mansion. There, the cult’s next reunion was going to take place, and she was determined to attend.
Phoenix was a weird city for this organization to meet. However, a restricted area like this place would do. She just hoped that if Sergio was there, he hadn’t found out about her plans.
Lillian arranged her mask and tried to be careful not to ruin her new dress. It was very simple and formal, different from her usual fancy clothes - garments no one would expect her to wear. She had found that with the expensive mask on she looked like a complete stranger when she looked in the mirror, yet still appeared as someone who could easily mix among the members of the cult.
Leaving her Horus-eye necklace at the cheap hotel she was staying in was hard, but she had to be careful. She had a goal, a purpose, and she was going to go for it no matter what or how long it took. She’d find Richard and luckily, no one would recognize her during her journey to the dark side of high class society.
When she reached the gate, she got ready to meet the man in tuxedo that was there to screen guests. Lillian took out a little fan from her purse and waved it across her face as she slowly showed him the tattoo she had on her chest.
Without a word, the man took a look at the area near her right breast and nodded. Access was granted to her and she stepped onto the large property. There were luxurious cars - Rolls Royse, Ferraris and BMWs - perfectly parked along the sides of the entrance. A long path guided her towards the giant mansion doors, and when she was close enough, they opened for her.
The glow of the golden interior had always made her uncomfortable. She really hated this use of money - thousands of dollars spent in fancy decorations and expensive clothes, exotic food and exclusive waiters that walked around offering strange drinks.
Everyone’s masks were in their place, gracefully hiding each member’s face. As she walked around, Lillian wished she knew some of their identities; however, anonymity was one of the secret society’s rules, and the masquerade provided that secrecy. They held their cups of fine wine high, sometimes making a little toast, sometimes just waiting with anxiety for the main moment to come.
Colleagues in obsession, guests talked about science, doctrines and the knowledge that lay in the past. Truth diggers, visionaries, liars - all of them here, blinded.
She’d once been part of the craziness. She’d devoted herself to this, even if she considered it to be only an interesting experience and not a reason to put aside the rest of her beliefs.
But just like the missing factor in the Horus-eye fractions was supposed to make scribes see the light, the cult had showed her the truth. The Leader was the biggest trickster.
Trying to mix, Lillian accepted a glass of wine from a butler’s tray and barely tasted the liqueur’s flavor. Conversations were different now. The topic had changed.
The familiar British accent of an old man and a young lady caught her attention first.
“They got him,” he was saying.
“Who?”
“The traitor. The one we’ve been looking for so long.”
The glass almost slipped from her fingers. Her lips were dry as she kept listening.
“Is he here?”
“According to the latest news, he is. And he’s not alone… They found the accomplice - the person who helped him to get his hands on the antiques.”
Licking her lips, Lillian waited. If these people were right, something big would happen that night and she’d have to stop it. Old matters never died for this cult, especially when they were about betrayal.
She didn’t have to wait for long. Soon one of the leaders, an old, blonde man with a ruby ring lifted his cup, asking for silence. Everyone got quiet and turned to him with respect. Lillian mimicked them, just like she’d always done. Fitting in had never been so important.
“Dear friends and colleagues, welcome,” he said with a charismatic voice. “I hope you are all having an excellent evening.” With elegance, he raised his cup a bit more. “I am extremely pleased to see so many familiar faces.” The joke made some of the guests smile wickedly. “As you all know, this is a place for us to interact and share - a place for discovery, for faith in the knowledge of the Egyptian civilization. But tonight is a special occasion.”
People moved in their places. Looking impatient, they remained silent.
The Leader continued. “I know there have been rumors about tonight’s reappearance of an old friend or ours, so let’s not hold back this reunion anymore.” Smiling, he got closer to a big, golden door that was behind him and announced, “Welcome Dr. Christopher Farrow and his bodyguard, Mr. Ian Edgerton.”
The doors opened and with hands and ankles cuffed, the prisoners were thrown into the room by two strong men dressed in brown. Their skin was shiny from the sweat and their eyes weren’t exactly clear. Lillian covered her mouth as she realized that they’ve been given some kind of drug. She’d been expecting this to happen, but having it in front of her eyes was completely different.
“Here they are,” the Leader announced again, opening his arms. “The traitors!” That made the others excited. The once quiet guests started cursing at Chris and Ian as they tried to get up from the floor and kneel without falling.
But words were coming out of the archeologist’s mouth. “No… no… you’re the traitor…”
“What?”
Everyone went silent again.
“What did you say?” the Leader asked again, turning to Chris. “You are a disrespectful, filthy sinner. How dare you raise your voice against us when we opened our arms for you, when we offered you knowledge and wisdom?” He left his drink with one of the waiters and extended his hand. “Give it to me.”
A man with a white mask came close and handed him a long object. When Lillian could see what it was, she gasped. The Leader had control over a whip now, and he was going to torture the traitors just like ancient pharaohs tortured their slaves when they didn’t obey.
“Let’s show this traitor what the rage of the Gods has decided as the punishment he deserves,” he added, and the group of followers raised their glasses in massive approval. However, his supposed justice wasn’t immediately applied to the traitors. Instead, he stood in front of Chris and Ian and played with his whip. The Leader looked to his left, as if he was searching for someone. When he didn’t seem to find that person, he turned to face his preys again.
Defiant, Chris put his head high, locking eyes with the Leader. Words sounded rough when he muttered, “It’s all about the money.”
The blonde man’s lips tensed; his fingers wrapped tighter around the whip. He was about to perform his little show for the eager audience when a familiar voice asked, “Let me.”
The people in the room turned to a dark corner, and from the shadows, Sergio emerged. Watching him walk towards the prisoners, Lillian held her breath and her rage.
“Sergio… You’re dead,” Chris muttered from the floor.
Sergio’s words came out slow and teasingly. “For some reason, I don’t think so.” He took the whip from the Leader’s hand and his eyes went from his boss to Ian. “Now we’ll see what hurts you the most.”
Chris’ voice shouted, “No, don’t do that! He doesn’t have anything to do with…!”
There was nothing he could do. The whip hit Ian’s skin with a clean sound, marking - burning - his taut skin. He trembled and his muscles contracted visibly, but never let out a cry of pain. From time to time, he squeezed his eyes in shock.
With horror, Lillian watched the scene. Her entire body trembled at the thought of what those injuries would feel like. If only they knew. Lillian restrained herself from doing justice right then and there. But it would be worthless. Staring at the infinite power the Leader seemed to have on his cult and at Sergio’s stupidity, she felt anger flow through her veins. Bastard. It’s all about the money.
Finally, apparently tired of taking advantage of the prisoners, Sergio stopped and threw the whip to the floor. Then he knelt down beside Chris and cupped his face. “I think you’re in big trouble, Chris…”
“I’m FBI, so I’d say you’re in bigger trouble,” Ian responded with a rough voice, as he breathed hard. The crowd started whispering.
“Silence!” a tall, dark-haired man demanded, taking a step forward and facing the Leader and Sergio. “FBI? Is this true? Because it’s not what we’ve arranged!” A chorus of “What is this?” and “This is outrageous!” followed.
“Take these two and lock them in the dressing room,” Sergio muttered to the men dressed in brown that had brought Ian and Chris. They took the prisoners and forced them out until the doors closed and Lillian couldn’t see them anymore.
The usually well organized situation was out of control. People wanted answers, and as researchers, they couldn't risk their reputations if they were found out to be part of a cult. “Oh, don’t believe these sinners’ lies… They are a hideous blasphemy we can not tolerate!”
The scandal didn’t end there, but luckily for Lillian, it’d give her plenty of time to start making some real justice. With the chaos as a distraction, she was soon able to slip through one of the several doors and into a very long corridor. She remembered being in it once before; the corners were as dark now as they used to be, but that didn’t stop her.
She found the Leader’s room in the same place she’d found it two years ago, while investigating a lead regarding Chris’ lover, Louis Terrence. It was great news that the Leader didn’t want any cell phones on during the meetings, and that for once he himself followed one of the group’s rules.
Her device called for her to touch it. She grabbed it, and quickly dialed 911, determined to change the course of the case for once and for all.
This madness has to stop!