Reborn Heart of Steel

I got a grip on his hand, but the uncertainty I found in his pupils moments before had returned. We both realized that while we were with him, it gave us some comfort, it did not alleviate Alessandro’s symptoms at all. The nurse disturbed our privacy later that evening when Alessandro’s vital signs needed to be taken. She toiled silently, unobtrusively, and her exterior was as impersonal and official as it could be. That is when she turned to leave, but her face eased and she said softly “You two should go home, get some rest,” she said gently. “That did not help and I can see you can barely keep your eyes open. ” Before I could argue, Chase said. “She is right Bri, we cannot be like this for Alessandro. We need to take care of ourselves if we are to be there for him. ” Reluctantly, I nodded. We took our leave of Alessandro and told him to come back the next morning, although for all I knew, he could not understand a word we were saying.

When we were coming out of the hospital, the night breeze was as if to shock us, and rightly so it was past eight at night. The world appeared too noisy, too colorful, too ordinary. How could everyday life go on as if all she had just said had never been said? As if our friend was not lying in a hospital bed, possibly at the threshold between the living and the dead? With this in mind, we walked to Chase’s car in total silence, a deep furrow etched on his forehead. This time, as we cruised in the car while in the city, I was looking at things differently. Each of the shadows might have held a threat, each car that passed may have been a foe. Suddenly, the silent gloom was intruded upon by my voice. “We can’t just give up,” “I know we said we would to Agent Harris, but I don’t think we can just stand by idly and watch as The Raven goes on a rampage. ” Looking in my direction, Chase frowned a little before nodding, as if he comprehended what I was going through. “Bri, you just heard what Agent Harris said to us: if we go any further, we will be arrested or worse. ” “I know, I know,” I snapped, annoyed that he hadn’t understood where I was coming from. “But there has to be something we can do. Some way we can help without putting ourselves in danger. ” Chase said nothing for a while, he was looking at the road heading down. At last, he said something; the tone of his voice was rather pensive. “Perhaps… perhaps I am speaking in foolishness, but perhaps I don’t have to fight The Raven myself. But perhaps I can assist in other manners…” I looked at him and felt hope rise in me with the sharpness of a phoenix. “What do you mean?” “Well, we’ve been piecing together The Raven’s organization structure for the past few weeks now,” Chase elaborated. “We know how he works, where some of his businesses are. At least we can provide the FBI with some information from the outside, you know: no more sneak-ins, no more breaking-ins…just informers. ” I thought it through and could not argue with him, it made quite a lot of sense to me. It wasn’t the explosive arrest scene that had probably been fantasized, but it was something. A way that we can still be involved without going back on our word to Agent Harris. “It could work,” I repeated carefully. “But we’d have to be smart about it. Of course, we cannot afford to take chances that may bring attention to us. ” Chase was quiet, and after a moment’s pause, he gave her a small, somewhat enigmatic smile. “Sure. We will be fine model citizens. Two school-going teenagers who recently found a unique liking for the proportion of businesses in a locality. ” Nevertheless, I was laughing again. It shocked me as well as mattered, given the situation, as it seemed to be wrong almost to do it. But it was also a comfort, a breather from the dreadful pressure of our circumstances. The moment Chase stopped and parked the car right in front of my house, I wanted to stay in the car to the extent that I developed a sort of tension. To deal with my parents, to attempt to tell them where I had been, what I had been through. They had known some of it Agent Harris had informed them but not the full story. Far from that, they are also involved in the determination of the standards to be adopted and regularly coming out with new varieties. Chase seemed to sense my hesitation because he quickly added; “They might come in and get you to communicate with them: ‘Do you want me to come in with you? Help explain things?’ ” I looked at him and shook my head, as all I had in me was a few drops of courage left. “Oh, no, no you have to understand, I want to do it by myself now, I really appreciate it though. ” He bent down and hugged me; and that hug was more affectionate and close than I had ever been hugged before. “Get this straight,, we’ll pull through this, yes, all of us, including that stubborn Italian, Alessandro,” I stopped and held his arms for a while so that I could be encouraged by his strength. Then, taking a deep breath as I alighted from the car, I proceeded to my front door. I never saw it coming. As I was turning around to bid Chase a farewell, my blood ran cold when I saw him. Across the street was a black car which also had darkly tinted windows. It was impossible to make out who was inside the car. But I could have sworn I saw a flash of movement, a glint of light at it hitting metal. My heart racing, I put my hand in my pocket for my keys, suddenly I really needed to get inside. This time I got the door open and, after making sure that no-one was going to stop me, I snuck one last look at the enigmatic vehicle. It was gone. I was completely dumb-struck and could barely stand in the doorway of the room. Had I imagined it? Was paranoia finally winning on me? Or was it a threat, a message that I couldn’t escape The Raven’s influence anymore because, in fact, their reach went much further than we had previously thought? When I entered and closed and locked the door, I was as sure of one thing as I was ever going to be. Even though we assured Agent Harris that it would be so, even though we were in peril ourselves, this was not the end. It isn’t a long shot at all. This raven was still out there, and he was still a danger. And that dear boys and girls, brings us to how on earth we had to devise how to deal with him. For Alessandro. For ourselves. For all victims of The Raven, as it were once so tender and so true