"It was a waste of time, commissioner." Alastair sighed into the phone.

The flat they had visited yesterday had been empty. Everything in there seemed to belong to a druggie and not some young runaway. He doubted that Rini Maeda would have stopped there.

Judging by the photo of her and various testimonies from friends, she was a good girl. She wouldn't have stayed somewhere like that. That dealer had clearly been confused. Alastair decided the trauma caused by his head injury would have done that.

In the meantime, they were still waiting on Sphinx to make their next move. He doubted they had just given up and slumped into his chair to think things through. His thoughts were disturbed by someone rapping on the door.

He assumed it was Laura, but was surprised when Luna walked into the room. He'd hardly seen her these past couple of days. She sat opposite him and smiled, thinly.

"Good Morning, detective. I believe I agreed to discuss all the information I had on Sphinx with you."

Alastair leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. She looked vaguely uncomfortable, but cleared her throat ready to start.

"Subjects 5963 and 7453, or Sphinx as you know them are the product of various lab experiments, all with the aim to artificially produce Savant Syndrome." she said, staring out of the window.

"That's shocking. When did these experiments take place?" Alastair asked.

"They took place when we were all younger, children actually," She sighed, running a hand through her silver hair. "Subjects 5963 and 7453 managed to escape before the lab was destroyed."

"You said we? Does that mean you were one of those children?" He pressed, and she looked nervous, fidgeting with her hands.

"I was subject 1278. There were others that are still alive today."

"Do you know the identity of Sphinx and possibly the other survivors?"

"I do not. All subjects were kept seperate and isolated. We only knew of each other through the scientists and their use of subject names."

Alastair leaned back again. He couldn't imagine what these children must have gone through. He suddenly felt very ill and took a long gulp of his tea. It stopped him feeling poorly. He looked at Luna and saw just how child-like she was.

She reminded him of his daughter. There was a vulnerability about her and he wanted to comfort her. He reached out and she flinched, before standing and putting some distance between them.

"Forgive me, detective. I hope the information I have provided will help." she said, then opened the door, leaving him alone again.

It gave Alastair an insight into the minds of Sphinx, but he had no clue what they looked like. She had said there were more of them though. Just how many damaged children were running around? And would they all be like Sphinx?


*********************

The door was partially open. I slid out of bed and opened the door leading to the lounge. We had been in the flat for the first night and I couldn't supress the feeling that we were being watched.

The lounge was empty. Ashley had gotten up really early and disappeared, leaving me whilst I was still asleep. I had no idea where CC was. My eyes flicked from one end of the room to another and noted that I could hear something in the kitchen.

I peeked through the archway. No one was there. I backed up and was grabbed suddenly by someone. I screamed loudly and the bathroom door flew open. CC paused and his eyes narrowed. Who was holding me? My eyes shot up to see a guy standing behind me.

He was young looking with long, black hair. His skin was pale and I felt something cold press against my throat. My gaze flicked to the knife in his hands. It gnarled like a screwdriver, but the tip and edge was sharp.

"Let her go." CC ordered.

"Subject 7453?" The guy asked.

"Yeah, that's me. And you are?"

"Subject 6743." The guy replied.

Was he a part of Sphinx too? I squirmed to get away and the guy noticed. His bright eyes went to my terrified face and he cocked his head to the side.

"How did you find us?" CC asked, and 6743 glanced at him.

"I've been tracking your movements for a long time," 6743 replied, shrugging. "Who's this pretty, little thing?"

"She is none of your concern." A familiar voice said.

I craned my neck to see Ashley, holding a gun to 6743's head. He let me go, dropping the knife and angling his head to look at Ashley.

"Hey there, 5963. What's good?" He grinned.

Ashley didn't look amused by this. I rushed over and hid behind CC. He was staring at the new guy.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"It's Subject 6743. We've been aware of his existence for a while now." CC replied.

From my safe distance, I got a better look at Subject 5743. He was shorter than Ashley and CC, but taller than me. His hair was very long and what I thought was his complexion was actually white make-up. He looked like a goth.

"You intended on harming Rini." Ashley said, and Subject 6743 frowned.

"Nope, I wasn't really going to kill her," He sighed, then looked at me. "Sorry, I just wanted to scare you. Gets the blood pumping."

This guy was weird. He turned his attention back to Ashley and used his finger to try and push the gun away from his face. This didn't seem to amuse Ashley.

"Do that again and I'll shoot you and let you bleed out." He snapped, aiming the gun at Subject 6743's crotch.

"That's just cruel." Subject 6743 pouted.

I really didn't want Ashley killing someone. If the neighbours heard the gunshots then we'd all be in trouble. I had to diffuse the situation somehow.

"Who wants tea?" I stuttered.

All eyes went to me. It seemed to work because Ashley lowered the gun. He must have sensed how scared I was. Subject 6743 looked thrilled.

"I'll have a cuppa. Milk, two sugars, please." He sauntered over to the couch, picking up his knife on the way.

Once I'd made him tea, he seemed more relaxed.

"Why are you here?" Ashley asked.

"Subject 1278 is after you." 6743 said, sipping the tea.

"We are well aware of her intentions towards us. What are your intentions at present?" Ashley replied.

I glanced at Subject 6743 and he smiled. He seemed harmless enough, well, harmless for someone with a knife.

"Could you please stop calling me Subject 6743 though. It gets depressing," He stated. "I go by Dani now."

"That's a nice name." I smiled.

"Thank you." Dani grinned.

All this talk of subjects had me curious though. Who was Subject 1278 and why were they after them? A subject sounded like something you might find in a lab. Ashley and CC left to film another video after a while and I was left with Dani.

"So, are you and Subject 5963 a couple?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"N-no, well, it's complicated. I'm his hostage." I replied, and he nodded.

"Oh right. I didn't think that was the case, given the way he looks at you." Dani said, leaning back on the couch, fiddling with his nails.

I suddenly felt really paranoid. Did Ashley look at me a certain way? I had never even noticed. I felt my face heat up and Dani snorted out a laugh.

"Yeah, he looks at you a lot. It's a mixture of lust and care, kind of cute, really." He laughed, and I glared at him.

I left the room after a while when Ashley and CC got back. It was only right to leave them to talk together. I sat in the bedroom, staring out the window at the view. My mind kept wondering how my friends were.

I would never see Rosheen again. I should have spent more time with her. I would never see Bev again, or Jace. I had never told him how I felt. My feelings were very conflicted at the minute so I doubted it would mean anything to him.

The door opened and I felt someone wrap their arms around me. I knew it was Ashley. I leaned back against him and sighed.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking." I mumbled.

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

I turned in his arms to look at him. Those dark eyes pierced into my own and I smiled a little. I reached up and touched his cheek.

"What for?" I whispered.

"Everything." Ashley said.

I muffled a giggle and shook my head. I was in too deep now to leave, even if I wanted to. It was obvious he wouldn't let me leave. I thought about Jace again and my feelings for him seemed stupid compared to how I felt about Ashley.

"It's fine. I like this side of you." I said, softly.

"You're the only person that's seen this side of me." He replied, letting me go.

We sat on the bed and I glanced at him. A strange feeling bubbled up in my tummy, rising through my chest, making my heart pound. The sun was starting to set and it's thin light cast jagged yellow lines across the room.

In the setting sun I couldn't help but think he looked angelic. Ashley's hair shone in the dimming light and I could see all the tattoos in greater detail down his left arm. That feeling rose to the surface and it was overwhelming.

"What's with all the talk of subjects?" I asked, shifting closer.

"We were all raised in isolation with the intent of artificially producing Savant Syndrome." He replied, glancing at me, chuckling at my dazed expression.

"Savant Syndrome?" I whispered.

"It's a condition that affects people with mental health problems that makes them have abilities that far exceed the normal constraints of their condition."

"And these scientists were trying to mimic that?"

"Yes, they were."

I felt sick all of a sudden. Who would do such a thing? I glanced at Ashley to find him watching me, trying to gauge my reactions. Once, it seemed like he had, he shifted closer, gripping my chin and making me look at him.

"Don't cry, please. I intend to let everyone know what happened in that lab." He murmured.

"By blowing things up?" I sniffled, drying my eyes with the sleeve of my jumper.

"I will do what I have to."

"N-no, you could die and then what?"

He looked away, seemingly thinking about this. Maybe, he felt like dying was a small price to pay for justice, but i didn't. I wanted justice for him, for CC and for Dani. But being a terrorist wasn't the way to do it.

"I won't die." Ashley said, at last.

"Y-you m-might though." I whispered.

My rambling was cut short when he leaned down, kissing me roughly. I gasped into the kiss and his tongue slipped into my mouth, exploring. I kissed him back and draped my arms round his shoulders, threading my fingers through his hair. We pulled apart, but he stayed fairly close.

"I won't die. When my mission is finished, we'll get married." He stated.

I nearly choked on my own saliva then. Married? He wanted to marry me? My heart felt like it was going to escape through my throat and my palms were slick.

"You barely know me. I'm really kind of boring and plain." I protested.

"You're not happy with this arrangement?"

"No, I just, there are a lot of other girls out there."

"I don't care about other girls. Once this is over, I want only you."

I stared at him and he didn't flinch. Clearly, his mind was made up. My mind was in turmoil though. One side of my brain was screaming that this was bad, but the other half was really happy. I decided to go with the happy side.

"Well, if you're certain then I would love to." I whispered.

"I am certain, Rini." He replied. The way he said my name made my heart flutter.

I managed to smile at him. Now, I hoped he would live through this mission of his. And if he didn't then I couldn't bear to think about the consequences.

Notes

I wish we could do dedications on this site, but anyways this is for Anathema and her love for Dani Filth.