Knights v Hunters; The Return

Rafe knew that they had a few hours window before they were needed back home. After listening to the recording provided by James, he better understood the reasons for the mission, knew that it was part of Seth’s plan of vengeance and the Blocker’s way of getting into Knight town, but Rafe also knew that there was possibly another, as yet, unknown reason. The possible involvement of a Hunter was confounding – no one was missing from the compound and he had never heard of Zeke.

His father and Ethan were more pensive and seemingly more accepting of the possibility that one of their own might be involved in the mission to destroy their compound. Jude had simply told his sons that he would explain once they got back home. They were to continue to attempt to track Grace before they returned to the Hunters’ compound and in no way were they to approach Seth and Mrs Ginello’s attack team.

He shared this feedback with the Knights as they sat in Rafe and Caleb’s apartment. All their bags were packed and they were ready to leave, but they still had to tidy up a few loose ends –like finding Noel Emerson and freeing Detectives Peck and Channing. “I wish Caleb or I could get close to Seth,” Rafe said. “At least we’d find your mother before we all went our separate ways.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t get closer without causing some serious damage,” Becca said, “and it would hard to explain the bodies.”

“I didn’t understand at first why Dad didn’t want us to end this here, but I get it now,” Caleb said in understanding. “Bringing this fight here, would be against both the Hunters’ and Knights’ primary covenant of protecting the Normals from the condemned. He wants us to contain it back home, where the existence of our societies can still be protected.” The others nodded in agreement.

“We can never be certain how the Untouchables will react if we attack them here,” Eden remarked. “It could place more lives in danger, not to mention the number of questions we would have to answer. I guess my biggest fear is that they could use Normals as shields.”

It was tough knowing that your home was about to be attacked, but both Knights and Hunters knew that they existed so that they could bring order and justice in the world of the Normals, no matter the risk to themselves.

Gabe stood in his kitchen, looking out at the garden that cried out for Grace’s presence. His wife loved working in that garden above all else; she might not be the best cook, but she had delicate hands when it came to plants. He wondered where she was, knew that she was safe but that time was running out for her, for all of them. Michael had called not too long ago to relay a message that Noah had uttered when he had been lucid for a few moments. Watch Eden, Noah had warned, watch the girl. A suspicion had crept into Gabe’s mind, but he had swept it aside, knowing that it couldn’t be possible. However, a call from Matthew a few minutes ago confirmed that his suspicion was accurate, that Noah’s message was not that of a rambling, sick mind. He couldn’t believe that a few months ago, he had been worried about the decision Eden would make in her Year of the Choice. Now, he had something bigger to worry about, something that could tear their family apart and he didn’t have Grace by his side to help them through it.

He set aside his anxiety and went to meet Sam and Peter for a final check of Knight town’s perimeter. Neither Kyra nor Nate had detected any flaws in the security design during their earlier check, but Gabe knew that nothing could keep the Untouchables out. He knew the Guardians would try, knew that the Untouchables would come armed with that in mind, but he couldn’t risk the lives of his Knights. The Untouchables would try to avoid the Guardians at all costs; they would seek out areas unguarded, but they had lived long enough in Knight town to know the lay of the land and they had the added advantage of being able to come through un-sensed, thanks to the Blocker!

Jude met Ava outside the control centre. She had come armed with a picnic lunch knowing that Jude, Ethan and a few of the Hunters had worked tirelessly these past few days, with very little sustenance. Her very presence calmed him, centred him and he was grateful every day that she was his. He could only imagine what Gabe must be going through, not knowing whether Grace would return to them. Ava had initiated contact with Grace – his wife was remarkable! Grace seemed weaker now, she said with concern. She wouldn’t have eaten in a few days and her efforts to cut the ropes that bound her hands were sapping her energy. Jude knew that his wife would only rest when her boys and the other Hunters came home and when Grace was found. And they would find Grace, Jude realised. Maybe sooner than they thought.

The Young Hunters had been given strict instructions to return to the compound before dark. Caleb admitted that they had to do one last favour for the Zolfars before they left. Jude knew that they also wanted to find Noel Emerson and ensure his safety. Jude had tracked Emerson’s whereabouts not too long ago and communicated it to his boys with the advice that they should let the NYPD free him, so that they could be home on time.

Ava nudged her husband to eat something. They had a long and difficult day ahead of them and they needed to be strong and prepared. The Untouchables would not get the better of them, she decided. She would fight until she eked out her last breath and would do anything to save the lives of the Hunters. She knew that they were too strong to be defeated as a pack, but she also knew that the presence of Zeke suggested that defeat of the pack was not necessarily a priority – defeat of the leader might be!

Matthew, Caleb and Eden headed up the search for Noel Emerson. They found him where Jude had said he would be, in a warehouse which Mrs Ginello had leased for the past ten years. Although heavily drugged, he still tried to defend himself when Matthew checked his vitals.

“Mr Emerson, we’re here to help you,” Matthew said while Caleb restrained Emerson. Emerson looked at them, eyes still glazed over, but a small spark of recognition now forming in his eyes.

“You’re…you’re a Knight,” he said to Matthew, barely getting the words out.

“Yes, and we have to get you out of here very quickly before they come back for you,” Matthew replied, already trying to help Emerson to his feet. The former Knight was big and heavy but Caleb and Matthew managed to steady him and walked him slowly outside to their waiting car. Although Jude had advised them to let the detectives find Emerson, Caleb sensed that a couple of the Untouchables were already on their way to the warehouse, ready to use Emerson as bait.

“Mr Emerson,” Eden began, “we’re going to take you somewhere safe for now. You can’t go home yet, okay?” The man nodded, barely conscious. She wondered what they had given him and how long it would take to work its way out of his system. They didn’t have time to find out though, they barely had enough time to ensure that Emerson was secured and the detectives freed before they themselves headed home.

They met Rafe, Josh and the other Hunters at the apartment building that was under renovation and where they had found David Cawley. Rafe’s idea was to leave Emerson there, where he would be safe. They would then ensure that the detectives, who were also being held in the same apartment, were able to free themselves and Emerson. The former Knight had passed out again once in the apartment and they laid him down in one of the bedrooms which was sparsely furnished. Rafe checked in on Detectives Peck and Channing. They were held in an as-yet unfinished bathroom. Rafe sensed even breathing in the room, suggesting that they were probably asleep. Peeking inside, he saw them lying on the floor, curled up against each other, with Sawyer’s arm wrapped protectively around Lena’s waist. Ah, so they finally found each other, he realised. He left the keys for their chains soundlessly by their feet and bid them farewell, not knowing when, if ever, he would see them again.

“Let’s go,” Caleb said, marshalling the troops outside. They met once again, each one of them with heavy hearts, Caleb sensed. “We’ll keep in touch over the next few days,” Caleb promised on behalf of the Young Hunters. “And we won’t stop looking for your mother. You have our word.”

Eden, Josh and Matthew stood together, pained at the thought that they would have to go back without Grace, the glue that held their family together, but they knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they would see the Hunters again in the future.

“Thank you, for everything,” Eden said. “At least we have the details of the mission and can be more prepared.”

“Hopefully we can eliminate a few of them when they come to us first,” Caleb laughed, pulling Eden into a tight embrace. He knew that she was in turmoil, felt it in her hug. “It will be okay,” he whispered. “His mind might not, but his heart remembers you. I can feel it,” he assured her.

Eden smiled, pushing back tears as she stepped away from Caleb, hugging Becca and Sera, whilst Josh and Matthew also said their goodbyes. Eventually she reached Rafe, saw the wariness in his eyes and knowing that she would need the memory later, she hugged him too. He wrapped his arms around her hesitantly while she clung to him, surprising him, but eventually he tightened his grip too, like he never wanted to let go. When she moved away, she saw the battle in his eyes, realised that his heart and mind were fighting and knew that Caleb was right. Whatever happened, she would hold onto that. “I’ll never forget you,” she thought. “Goodbye Rafe,” she said louder.

The Knights and Hunters separated, each going back to their own vehicles but they turned one last time to each other. So much passed between them, nothing that could be expressed in words.

Rafe got into the driver’s seat of their car, needing to concentrate on something other than Eden. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, she unsettled him. This Knight, who he had met and seemingly forgotten, had shaken him just now with the force of emotion that had flown out of her with that simple hug goodbye. He didn’t know what to make of it, didn’t have the energy to dissect it, but knew that later, when he had some alone time, he would reflect and analyse why his heart literally skipped a beat when he was around her!

Lena awoke with a start, uncertain where she was. She almost jumped out of her skin when an arm around her tried to soothe her, drawing her closer. She slowly turned around, realised that both she and Sawyer had fallen asleep and that she was currently lying in his arms. He looked beautiful asleep, she thought, the picture of restfulness. He stirred as if knowing that he was being watched and his eyes flickered open. A smile spread across his face, reaching his eyes. “Hey,” he said, rubbing the back of his hand against her cheek. “You okay?”

Sawyer Channing was touching her face! Lena tried to look calm, but she felt like she was in an emotional whirlpool. “Yeah, I’m okay. Guess we dozed off,” she said and felt stupid immediately.

“Yeah, and now we need to figure out how to get out of here,” Sawyer said although he made no movement to get up.

Lena cleared her throat. “What time is it?” she asked.

Sawyer looked at his watch, saw that it was almost 9pm. “I’m sure that someone is looking for us by now, even if it’s only Carter,” he smiled, trying to gauge Lena’s reaction.

They both sat up and Lena kicked something as she did so. “What’s that?” she asked. Something shiny lay at her feet.

Sawyer followed her gaze, his hand reaching out to grab the shiny object. A set of keys! It hadn’t been there before. He reached down to Lena’s feet, trying the keys on the chain that bound them. The first key didn’t work, but the second did, freeing her. Next, he unlocked himself. He helped Lena to her feet, almost reluctant to let her go. Would she regret the kiss they had shared earlier?

“Someone came in here while we slept?” Lena gasped, already embarrassed that whoever it was, would have seen her in Sawyer’s arms.

“Yeah, but why would they let us go now?” Sawyer asked as he tried the door to the room. It opened easily and he found their guns and cell phones just outside the door.

“I’m not even sure why they took us in the first place,” Lena admitted, “so I won’t question why they freed us now.” She looked around the apartment which seemed to be in the midst of a renovation. Was this a trap? she wondered. Just then, they heard a groan coming from one of the rooms. Both she and Sawyer drew their guns. He looked at her, pointed that he would lead. She nodded and followed him down the short hallway.

The first room, which was an unfurnished bedroom, was empty, but the next room had a large bed which was currently occupied by an even larger man lying on his side. Sawyer approached the man, gun in hand, while Lena kept her gun trained on the bed’s occupant. Sawyer leaned closer as he faced the man and called out, “Mr Emerson, Noel Emerson, are you okay?”

Lena was shocked. Did they find their second missing person? She walked nearer to the man and realised that he was, in fact, Noel Emerson, looking unhurt, but seemingly not very lucid. She called for an ambulance after looking out the window to gauge their location, while Sawyer checked the man’s vitals.

“He’s still out of it,” Sawyer said. “Look at his hands – rope burns. He couldn’t have been held here,” he said, looking around the nicely furnished room.

“Maybe we’ll solve the mystery when he wakes up,” Lena said, putting her gun away.

“So, Emerson is kidnapped, then we get a break on the case and we’re kidnapped by two very nice kidnappers and now we’ve released, with Emerson in the other room?” Sawyer was confounded to say the least.

The ambulance eventually arrived together with the police. Lena and Sawyer spent several minutes with Captain Marquez, detailing how they were kidnapped and how long they had been held. They provided descriptions of the kidnappers, but couldn’t provide a reason for their kidnapping beyond what the kidnappers had relayed.

“I think we should go to Ginello’s Bakery,” Lena said. “That would have been our destination if we weren’t kidnapped.”

“Yeah, but the bakery closes at 6pm. We can try the owner though,” Sawyer said.

“You two head off home,” Marquez instructed. “I’ll contact the owner of the bakery, see whether she has any light to shed on this. You can pay her a visit in the morning.”

Lena was too frazzled to argue and allowed Sawyer to drive them back to the station where her car was parked. She noticed several missed calls from Carter Channing. This was going to be awkward, but she had to call him back. And say what? Hey, sorry, but I hooked up with your brother after all!

Sawyer noticed that Lena was quiet all the way to the station. Even when they went back to the office to collect their laptops, she didn’t say much. He couldn’t take her silence any longer. “Something on your mind?” he asked her.

“I need to call your brother,” she said simply. “I don’t know what to tell him.”

Sawyer sighed. He would need to call Carter himself and apologise for his stupidity. “Let me call him first. I owe him that. You can call him thereafter,” he suggested, moving closer to her and taking her hands in his. “Then, can we go to dinner?”

“Are you asking me on a date?” Lena asked with a smile.

“Oh, absolutely,” Sawyer said, without hesitation, placing a kiss on her forehead. He wasn’t about to let her go, now that she had finally let him in!

The Hunters’ drive home was quiet and contemplative. Caleb heard the thoughts churning through his brother’s mind, knew that Rafe was in turmoil, but bravely trying to focus on the planned attack by the Untouchables.

Sera also thought about Rafe and what she had hoped was the start of a promising relationship with him. However, after seeing him with the Knight Eden, she knew that she wanted someone who looked at her the way Rafe looked at Eden. He had never looked at Sera that way and probably never would. She realised that theirs would only ever be a close friendship.

Becca on the other hand, thought about her relationship with Eli. Was she using him, or was she developing genuine feelings for him? And what about Caleb? Would she ever get a chance to tell him how she felt? Would he be embarrassed to know that the girl he had always thought of as an annoying sister, was actually in love with him? Just then Caleb turned around from the front seat and smiled at her, which unnerved her. Was he reading her thoughts? Don’t do that, she warned.

At the halfway stop, Caleb took over the driving duties and told Rafe to get some sleep in the back seat. He knew that his brother hadn’t been sleeping properly for weeks. Now, more than ever, Rafe would need his energy. Becca joined Caleb in the front of the car. “I told my Dad what time to expect us, so that they can let us in,” she told him.

“Thanks, Bec,” he said. “So, you up for a good fight?”

“Looking forward to it! It’s going to be strange using our arrows on our home turf, but we have to do what’s necessary,” she added.

“The Hunters have the strategy mapped out. Dad will brief us on our roles as soon as we get there. I think that we can expect the Untouchables to come heavily armed. So, watch out for more pepper spray, guns and knives,” he said worriedly. Becca had been seriously burnt when one of the Untouchables had dispensed pepper spray on her a few months back, during the Hunters’ mission to eliminate McCall and Gentry. Pepper spray could cause serious, permanent damage to Hunters.

“Don’t worry, I learnt my lesson,” Becca said. “This time I’ll fight like a girl!”

“You do that,” Caleb laughed. “I don’t care how you fight, as long as you keep safe.”

“Worried about me, Caleb?” she asked jokingly.

Caleb reached out and took her hand, “I always worry about you, Bec. I hope you know that by now.”

Only one word went through Becca’s mind at that moment, Dammit!

“Why are you so restless, son?” Ava asked as Rafe played with the food on his plate. “Last chance to get some sustenance tonight.”

“I know, Mom, sorry. Dinner is delicious, as always,” Rafe said, knowing that they all watched him now. His parents were still worried about the gaps in his memory, but it hadn’t affected the last mission and it wouldn’t affect what was still to come. Something was on his mind though – Grace! They had struggled to track her in New York, but here at the compound, he sensed her clearly! He needed to speak to Caleb without alarming his mother, so he obediently ate his dinner, resisting the urge to communicate telepathically with his brother as he did so. Jude had met with the Young Hunters on their arrival, informing them of the plan for the next few hours and the roles that were required of each of them. Rafe and Caleb, together with some of the other Young Hunters were tasked to guard the control centre, while the Old Hunters would guard the perimeters. The entire compound was on high alert, and it would remain so, until the Untouchables were eliminated. However, he still had time to have a discrete discussion with his brother after dinner. He also needed Caleb’s take on Zeke – their father had admitted that Zeke had been a part of their society decades ago, but that he had disappeared. The Hunters had assumed that he had passed on, especially since they had never been able to track him, despite various efforts. Beyond that, Jude was tight lipped, which raised Rafe’s curiosity since the leader of the Hunters had never deliberately kept information from his sons before.

It was while they were packing the dishwasher, that Rafe found the first opportunity to speak with Caleb alone. Their parents were liaising with some of the older Hunters in another part of the house. “Caleb, so what do you think about this Zeke, who we’ve never heard anything about before?” he asked his younger brother.

“Oh, so it isn’t only me who’s suspicious?” Caleb laughed. “Obviously, we don’t have the whole story, which is unusual because that’s not Dad, but I’m thinking that it’s probably because it’s not his story to tell.”

Rafe sighed, realising that Caleb was probably onto something. “I didn’t think of that,” he said. Jude would never knowingly betray the confidence of his people, even if one of those people was Zeke, who was planning an attack on his former home! “I still think that we should get more intel on Zeke though, just so that we know what we’re dealing with. I also think it’s strange that all our lives, we’ve heard about every Hunter who’s ever lived here, except Zeke. I guess his must be a pretty big secret!”

Caleb grinned, knowing that his big brother hated missing pieces – the lack of knowledge about Zeke the Hunter, being one of those pieces. “What’s really bugging you?” he asked instead.

Rafe turned around to the entrance to the kitchen to ensure that no one was within earshot. “I’ve been receiving these images of Grace and they’re much stronger now.”

Caleb frowned. “I know, I tracked her earlier and I sense that she’s closer than we think.”

Just then, Ava walked into the kitchen and heard her boys discussing Grace. “Do you sense her, Caleb?” she asked, catching Caleb off-guard. His mother’s effortless movements never ceased to annoy Caleb – he was a Sensor and yet he couldn’t even sense his own mother!

“Yes, Rafe and I both can. Why?”

“I’ve spoken to her,” Grace admitted, much to her sons’ surprise. “Hey, don’t look shocked, your old mother does have a few abilities up her sleeves!” Rafe and Caleb both exchanged their views on this wordlessly. “I’ve just never been able to read you two!”

“Thank God for that!” Caleb responded. “What did Grace say?”

“She told me what she noticed before Seth left her. She’s blindfolded so she doesn’t have a very good sense of where she is.” Grace proceeded to detail her discussion with her oldest friend.

Caleb and Rafe both looked at each other. Their mother’s repetition of Grace’s account seemed familiar. It was something they were sensing and seeing right now!

“Mom, I think that Grace might be on our territory!” Rafe exclaimed.

“What?” Ava asked, “then why haven’t your father or I been able to track her?”

“Well, you haven’t really been focussed on the compound in terms of tracking her. You’ve extended yourselves outside, into the world of the Normals, which is why you didn’t notice the signal which is right here,” Caleb reasoned.

“Mom, reach out to her again. Let’s see if we can get her exact location,” Rafe suggested, still amazed at his mother’s abilities.

The Knights meanwhile, returned to their town feeling desolate. Knight town was a hive of activity, with the Guardians on full detail and their father Gabe helping to prepare for the possible onslaught from the Untouchables. Walking into their house was a sad reminder of their failure in finding their mother, whose absence was palpable.

“Eat something first,” Kyra pleaded with her tired siblings who wanted to venture out into the town to assist their father and the other Knights. Matthew complied, forcing the others to follow suit. Who knew when next they would all sit down together like this?

Eden felt overcome by waves of exhaustion. She sat down at the kitchen table, drinking glasses of water before attempting to eat something. She knew that Matthew glanced her way a few times, but her heart was still broken over his actions concerning Rafe, so she ignored him. Josh, on the other hand, ate like he’d never eat again, forcing a smile to her lips. Eden looked at her siblings – this was her family, the people she had known her entire life, the people who knew her better than anyone. What if she lost all of this? What if she lost them?

“Is there any news on Noah?” Matthew asked, eventually breaking the silence.

“Not much,” Kyra said. “Nate’s dad has been sitting with him around the clock. Apparently, Noah was conscious a few times, but he’s still in a pretty bad shape. Father has been over to see him, hoping that he can get more information as to what happened to him, but Noah’s been mostly unconscious.”

“I’m sure he’ll hate knowing that he missed the battle with the Untouchables,” Eden acknowledged.

“By the way, I told Father to watch out for the Zolfars, try to keep them out of harm’s way,” Josh said. “I know that the Hunters will do the same.”

“Yes, whatever happens, we still need to protect the innocents,” Matthew said.

Rafe, Caleb and Ava had meanwhile pinpointed Grace’s location. They now believed that she was somewhere in that part of the compound, which was no longer occupied by the Hunters. “It would explain how Grace and her captors got in without anyone seeing them,” Ava reasoned. “We don’t monitor this part as closely as we do the others.”

As they walked towards that area, Rafe had the strangest feeling that he’d been there not too long ago, which was baffling considering that he could only remember being there with Caleb and their mother when he was very little. “There’s an old abandoned well here,” Rafe said, “I remember Caleb and I used to play close to it.”

“Grace,” Ava shouted down the well. She heard her voice echo. There was no response from Grace.

Caleb leaned closer and looked into the well. “It’s so dark,” he said, “you can’t see much down there.”

Rafe was silent and stood with his eyes closed for a moment. “She’s down there,” he eventually said. “She can hear us, but she’s weak. How do we get her out?”

“You go in, see whether you can lift her high enough to grab the rope and I’ll do the rest,” Caleb suggested.

“Man, I hate dark places,” Rafe said as he used the old rope to lower himself into the well. The rope ended abruptly and he had to jump the last few meters and hope that he didn’t injure himself. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust and when it did, he found Grace slumped against a wall. He pulled off her blindfold, which startled her enough to wake her. “It’s okay,” Rafe said. “My mom sent us to find you.” He made quick work of the ropes that bound her wrists, saw that in her attempt to cut the ropes, she had also cut away at her skin. “Grace, can you stand up?” She nodded, but he could see that it took a great deal of effort for her to get up, even with his help.

“Are you good to go?” Caleb communicated with his brother.

“In a few minutes,” Rafe responded. “She’s too weak. I’m going to help her up in a while, but watch her wrists. I think she might have injured it while trying to cut the ropes.

“Grace, we have to get you out of here now, okay? I’m going to lift you up. If you’re in pain at any stage, just shout out for me to stop,” Rafe said calmly. Grace nodded and latched onto the rope as Rafe raised her.

“Caleb, we’re ready,” Rafe shouted.

It took some time, but eventually Grace was lifted out of the well. She was cold and her skin was clammy, but she was overjoyed to see her old friend. “I knew you’d find me,” she cried in Ava’s arms.

Matthew walked besides his father and Josh, trying to gauge more information on Zeke. Gabe, however, didn’t have much to say on the matter and merely expressed his disappointment once again, that Seth, someone he had loved and trusted most of his life, had committed an unforgivable betrayal.

“I need you both to keep an eye on your sisters during any attack. Especially Eden,” Gabe instructed.

“They can both take care of themselves,” Josh replied, “and you know they will not be happy if we give them any special treatment.”

“I know,” Gabe said, “but trust a father’s instinct. I need Eden to be watched.” Matthew and Josh both gave their word, just as the person in question came running up to them.

“Father, they found her,” she cried. “The Hunters found Mom!”

Gabe was overwhelmed with relief. “Where is she?”

“Caleb said they found her at the compound. Seems that Seth and Zeke kept her there, knowing we’d never be able to track her if she was amongst the Hunters. Caleb also says that they will keep Mom at the compound until it is safe enough and she is able to return to Knight town!