"I would assume it's because she doesn't want me to zap her again," said the man carrying her. He rapped Nell on the side of the head with his knuckles. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"
She moaned, and felt a rumble when her carrier laughed.
-----------
Derek got to the hospital. Contrary to what Nell believed, he'd understood from her call that something was wrong. Rebecca was sitting outside on a park bench, smoking a cigarette. She looked exhausted and bleary-eyed. He approached her, and she recognized him instantly.
"Derek! Derek Bergen! It's so nice to see you! I--"
The Afterdark seized her mind and tore it open like a freshly peeled orange, looking for traces of Nell. He didn't want to bother talking. From what he could glean from her mostly empty brain, she didn't know much, but he got the sense that this was intentional on her part--she didn't want to know. Someone had asked her to get Nell to come to the hospital, and they had offered quite a lot of money.
"You stupid fucking whore," Derek said derisively. If it hadn't been the middle of the day, he probably would have snapped Rebecca's neck. He sat down on the bench next to the woman, dwarfing her. "You betrayed a neutral party. Collateral damage is one thing if you're working, but it's something else entirely to sell out someone who has always been an asset to our cause. Rebecca, if I ever see you alone somewhere, I will kill you."
Derek stood and left, walking quickly. He wasn't sure if he should go after Nell. It would be a lot of work for a cause that was primarily selfless, and The Afterdark was slightly averse to the idea because there was a possibility of some other villain discovering he'd done something nice.
----------
She moaned, and felt a rumble when her carrier laughed.
-----------
Derek got to the hospital. Contrary to what Nell believed, he'd understood from her call that something was wrong. Rebecca was sitting outside on a park bench, smoking a cigarette. She looked exhausted and bleary-eyed. He approached her, and she recognized him instantly.
"Derek! Derek Bergen! It's so nice to see you! I--"
The Afterdark seized her mind and tore it open like a freshly peeled orange, looking for traces of Nell. He didn't want to bother talking. From what he could glean from her mostly empty brain, she didn't know much, but he got the sense that this was intentional on her part--she didn't want to know. Someone had asked her to get Nell to come to the hospital, and they had offered quite a lot of money.
"You stupid fucking whore," Derek said derisively. If it hadn't been the middle of the day, he probably would have snapped Rebecca's neck. He sat down on the bench next to the woman, dwarfing her. "You betrayed a neutral party. Collateral damage is one thing if you're working, but it's something else entirely to sell out someone who has always been an asset to our cause. Rebecca, if I ever see you alone somewhere, I will kill you."
Derek stood and left, walking quickly. He wasn't sure if he should go after Nell. It would be a lot of work for a cause that was primarily selfless, and The Afterdark was slightly averse to the idea because there was a possibility of some other villain discovering he'd done something nice.
----------
