Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 18

Expedition

When Jasmine Walker shows up in the evening to the apartment Rue is sharing with Doug, they quickly understand that something terrible must have happened. Little do they know at first that the hero Suplex has been abducted.

Over the next few weeks, Rue sleeps more than they have in years, their body greedily accepting the rest time it’s been given. They somehow end up binge watching several seasons of Judge Judy with Tara, and even though they don’t care much for the show itself, they appreciate the time spent together. Once they start to feel slightly better, Doug recommends some new books to them to keep them from anxiously getting out of bed and pacing around the flat. Truth is, it feels strange to Rue having this much free time without having to worry about where their next meal will come from, or if the cold will creep into their bones. Nevertheless, they continue to take it easy, fully intending to keep their promise to Doug to avoid any further injuries.   "So Rue, what did you make of 1984?" Doug asks as he dishes up dinner to the two of them and Tara. The mess in front of them that was supposed to be a curry didn't look too appealing, but Rue knew better than to judge Doug's cooking, or in fact anything about the man, by appearance. They took a spoonful and were immediately transported to a world of herbs and spices, where the only important question was how to quickly get another spoonful to one's mouth.   "Aww come on, Dougey," Tara moaned as he sat down beside her, "Do you have to do book club right now? I was hoping for some normal dinner conversation."   "What's not normal about this?" He asks, dumbfounded, "People talk about their interests over dinner all the time, don't they?"   "Yeah, but usually it's an interest everyone at the table shares," she continues, "Like Judge Judy!"   "That is your interest, Tara."   "Nuh uh," she cries, shaking her head, "Rue likes it too! Don't ya, Rue?"   “Hmm?” Rue replies, having been too preoccupied with their food to properly follow the conversation. They look back and forth between the couple, chewing the mouthful of curry as they try to come up with a response, “It’s… nice?” They say hesitantly, a little nervous about picking a side in this little squabble, “My main interest right now is what mix of spices you put in this.” They point at the plate in front of them with their spoon, immediately scooping up another bite to wolf down.   "See?" Tara says, poking her tongue out at Doug and digging in to her own meal with renewed vigour.   "Ah, those are an old Doug secret," he says, taking a spoonful of his meal, "But I'm glad you like it. Maybe you can help me make it sometime."   Before Rue gets a chance to answer again, the trio are interrupted by a knock on the apartment door. The group share a wary look for a moment before Doug calmly asks "Rue, could you go see who that is?"   Rue rests their spoon on the edge of their plate, the chair scraping against the floor slightly as they get up. With neither of them expecting any guests, they are a little on edge as to who might be at the door, and so they sharpen their senses as they walk into the hallway.   They know who's at the door before they even open it. The sound of panting, the smell of daisies, but as they look through the door, ready to see one of the few people they consider a friend, Rue can't help but worry. Jasmine is red in the face, her hair is a mess and she looks out of breath, leaning against the doorframe as she waits for the door to open.   The moment they open the door, Rue has their finger up to their lip to tell Jasmine to keep quiet, pointing towards the kitchen.   “What are you doing here?” They whisper frantically, their concern mixing with paranoia. “I can’t be seen meeting with any of you like this.”   Jasmine looks up at Rue under heavy brows, her expression nothing less than desperate as she states plainly, "Rachel's been kidnapped."   Their jaw drops slightly as they process Jasmine’s statement. Mindful of the couple in the kitchen, Rue purses their lips.   “Meet me around the corner in 5 minutes.” They say, closing the door before she can object. Pinching the bridge of their nose, they make a beeline for their bedroom, pulling a black hoodie out of their wardrobe and putting on their boots. On their way back out, Rue pops their head into the kitchen.   “I have to pop out for a bit, I’ll be back soon.”   The other two didn't have a chance to question it as Rue quickly made their way out of the front door and down the hallway. They make their way down the stairs and out of the building noticing the purple-haired woman pacing on the nearby street corner.   It's odd for Rue to see Jasmine looking so out of her depth. Ever since their first meeting at the courthouse, Jasmine had always conducted herself with a certain level of self-confidence, but now she looks scared.   Pulling up their hood, Rue quickly scans their surroundings, afraid that someone might be watching. They get to the street corner and gesture for Jasmine to keep walking away from their apartment.   “What happened?” They ask once they are side by side.   "It was..." She starts, seemingly unable to put the words together, "There was this... woman. She had black hair and she looked... off? I don't know," she's finally able to stop pacing long enough to make eye-contact, "She sprayed Rachel with some sort of gas, and she went limp. I tried to stop her, but-" Jasmine lifts the bottom of her shirt to reveal a large purple bruise over her stomach, "I only came to about an hour ago and... I didn't know who else to go to."   Rue winces sympathetically at the sight of the bruise, turning down the street they remember driving on back when Jasmine gave them a lift home. “What about detective Upton?” They ask gently, wondering still if she knows of the man’s other persona.   The way that Jasmine described the woman nags at the back of their mind, making the hairs on their neck stand up, “And what exactly seemed ‘off’ about that woman?”   "He's off the grid," she says, grimacing as she lowers her top, "Superhero stuff."   She ponders the follow-up question for a moment, thinking back through gritted teeth to the moment she saw her best friend being kidnapped, "Her face was... pale," she starts, "She had no expression... and her voice. She said her Master wanted to see- No- wanted her." At that, Rue stops in their tracks, their stomach churning with a sense of dread.   “Oh, fuck,” They groan, anger and guilt flaring up within them, “That sounds like Evelyn, one of Eli’s… inventions. He might actually be smug enough to keep Rachel at that creepy mansion of his.”   "Wait. That wasn't a... person?" she says, her eyes widening in shock, "What the Hell kind of man are we dealing with?"   “Didn’t you know that Rachel’s creepy stalker is the owner of Manchen Robotics?” They ask, “He’s got all sorts of robots at his mansion, though none quite as realistic looking as Evelyn. He… he modelled her after Rachel…” Rue looks down guiltily, “I thought you knew, since detective Upton told me to go ahead with the package delivery…”   "Rachel... doesn't really like talking about him," Jasmine says, looking away, "I think she didn't want to give him the time. He's never really done anything like this before."   She sighs heavily and looks back up at Rue, "I guess we probably should've seen this coming, huh?"   “I guess he’s never really had the information he needed to do something like this before…” Rue mutters, feeling disgusted with themself for giving him the parcel. “It’s going to be difficult getting into his mansion, he’s got cameras everywhere. We may need to come up with a plan.”   "Right. Good idea," she straightens up and ponders the situation for a moment, "Look, Rue, I think it's honesty time. I know you don't really like to talk about it, but we need to know what we're working with. I've got a few... skills, we could use here. But I need to know exactly what powers you've got that we can rely upon."   Rue purses their lips, their heart racing in their chest at the prospect of sharing this information. Part of them feels like they can trust Jasmine, but another part of them is immediately drawn back to the lab, to the hands roaming over their body, prodding them, burning them, testing out their powers as they developed.   Nevertheless, they can’t help but feel responsible for what happened to Rachel, the guilt for their actions pushing them forward, “This has to stay between us,” They start with a faint tremble in their voice, “Just us…”   "Rue," she sighs, "You'll have to learn to trust people eventually, but in the meantime, have I ever given you any reason to doubt me?"   “Easier said than done…” They mutter under their breath, a hurt expression flickering across their face. “I’ve got telekinetic powers and can control fire,” They start, “I also have heightened senses to the point where I can see through objects, hear things normal people can’t, and track people through scent alone…”   As Rue reels off the list, Jasmine's eyes widen and she takes a beat, "Well... shit, I... uhh..." she takes another moment, collecting her thoughts, "That's, uh... Pretty impressive. And you were still living on the streets?"   “As you might have noticed, I don’t exactly want people to know…” They say, avoiding Jasmine’s gaze. “I use them when I need to, but it’d be bad if the wrong people found out.”   "Right..." she says, still not entirely convinced by their reasoning, "Well, I definitely think they will come in handy. Now, which way to that mansion?"   “It’s on the outskirts,” They say, relaying the address to Jasmine, “I don’t suppose you drove to mine?”   "My car's parked up the street," she says, leading the way to the same little car that she'd used to drop off Rue after their run-in with a bullet. The ride starts quiet and tense, but soon enough Jasmine pipes up again, "Right, Rue, you've been there. Anything I need to be on the lookout for?"   ''Aside from Eli and his Rachbot?'' Rue ponders, ''There were cameras everywhere, not to mention the smaller, less human-looking robots that were all around. I don't know what they all do, but I suppose it'd be best to avoid them. The place is massive, though, I didn't exactly get a full tour so there may be other things.''   "Alright, I guess we'll figure it out when we get there," she says, and soon enough the pair are pulling up a short way from the Manchen residence. Jasmine takes a deep breath and turns her head to her companion in heroics, "Ready?"   Rue pulls their hood a little further over their head, suddenly missing the balaclava from a few weeks back, “I don’t suppose you have anything to hide my face?” They ask nervously, “He cannot recognise me, I don’t know what would happen if Creel ever found out…”   She chuckles slightly as she gets out of the car despite the seriousness of the situation, "You've seen the kind of trouble Rachel and I get into, haven't you?"   She moves around to the boot and pops the lid, rummaging around for a moment before slinging a bag over her shoulder and holding up both a balaclava and a harlequin mask, "You feeling more 'bank heist' or 'the purge?'.   “I have no idea what the purge is, but that one.” Rue points at the balaclava, accepting it gratefully, “I’m also not sure if I should ask about what’s in that bag…” They give a small smile before putting on the mask.   As they approach the gates surrounding the mansion, they make a conscious effort to sharpen their senses, listening out for any potential dangers as they let their eyes roam across the yard, filtering out the hidden cameras and other mechanics. They inhale slowly through their nose, hoping to find a trace of Rachel’s scent.   "You just keep your eyes open, and let me worry about what's in the bag," Jasmine says, putting on the mask and following up to the fence, "What do you see?"   The mansion grounds take on a totally different feeling in the night. While every other house in the extravagant neighbourhood falls silent, with the occasional water feature to liven up the place, the Manchen estate seems positively abuzz with the whirring of gears as a collection of smaller drones that have set about maintaining the gardens and cleaning the place.   As Rue focusses their senses, they can smell the faint fruitiness that often accompanies Rachel and see both a startling number of electrical cables running through the property, and a small area to the back of the estate where the lights are dimmer, the wires not quite as embedded, and where the drones seem not to venture. The grass seems to have been allowed to grow longer there, where a small area encircled by a low brick wall sits opposite a door to the mansion's cellar.   “She’s here,” They say quietly, “This way."   They guide them around the grounds and relay what they can see. They creep closer to the door, their heart racing in their chest. Pausing briefly when they get around the estate, Rue takes another look, sniffing carefully for that fruity smell.   Jasmine follows behind without another word, not wanting to alert any nearby ears, be they human or otherwise. As they sneak onto the grounds, their footfalls muffled by the longer grass around the cellar door, they get a closer look at the area with the brick wall. It looks to be some sort of family cemetery, complete with gravestones of many different shapes and styles. It would appear that the Manchen family was once far grander than its current state. A single set of footprints, perfectly spaced in their gait, appears to head from the hatch towards the untended graves and back, too small for Eli's feet, but perfect for Evelyn.   Rue silently makes their way to the hatch, checking it carefully for any alarms. Satisfied when they find none, they try to lift it with their telekinesis, cursing under their breath, ''I don't think it's alarmed, but it's locked.'' They whisper bitterly.   ''Ah, now that's where I come in.'' Jasmine says quietly, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she slips past them. She puts the backpack on the ground, opening the front pocket to retrieve a pouch of lock-picking tools. Rue watches in amazement as Jasmine expertly works on the lock, listening to the little cylinders moving inside before they hear a faint 'click', ''Open sesame?'' She murmurs, taking a small step back.   Trying once more with their telekinesis, they can't help but smile a little when the hatch opens up, ''Remind me to call you if I ever lose my keys.'' They quip before they silently slip through the opening, waiting for Jasmine to follow and gently closing the door behind them.   The cellar is dark and while it doesn't bother Rue, Jasmine is forced to turn on the torch in the back of her phone. She keeps it low, but makes a cursory pass across the room, expecting to see either old bottles of wine or just piles of junk.   "What... the... fuck..." she mutters as the room comes into view. In stead of any sort of storage area, the basement features a seemingly-unused bed, a dressing mirror, and stacks of books and papers, with the walls covered nearly entirely by photographs. Some of the images are old, some new, with each of them depicting members of the Manchen family at various times of their lives.   What strikes the duo as most disturbing however is that placed upon the vanity in front of the mirror is a mannequin head, and on that head is a porcelain mask in the guise of one Rachel Stephens, and a red wig.   ''Guess he upgraded Evelyn...'' They mumble in disgust, moving through the room to get further into the house. ''Let's keep moving. I don't know about you, but I really don't want to stay here any longer than we need to.''   They search for the stairs heading up out of the cellar, finding them on the other side of the room. As they stalk forward, they scan their surroundings for any movements or sensors, sniffing the air to track Rachel's scent.   "Yeah, let's get out of here as quickly as possible," Jasmine agrees, following quickly behind as the two of them make their way upstairs into the mansion proper.   As they ascend the stairs, the tranquillity of Evelyn's cellar quickly gave way to the buzz of Eli's robots and machinery. Rue's enhanced vision quickly gives them a better idea of the house's layout, with the kitchen standing between them and the rest of the building. And stood therein over a countertop with a kitchen knife in hand was the unmistakable black-haired form of Evelyn herself.   Rue holds up their hand, stopping them both in their tracks. Placing one finger over their lips, they observe the scene before them. They watch as Evelyn rhythmically moves the knife up and down, finely chopping up some vegetables and adding them to a neatly arranged platter. Rue waits for the android to finish her preparations, watching as she takes the platter with her out of the kitchen before carefully opening the door with their telekinesis.   "Is she gone?" Jasmine whispers as the pair make their way into the kitchen. Rue watches through the walls as Evelyn makes her way towards the same sitting room that they'd had lunch in those few weeks prior, waiting for an opportune moment to slip out behind her and follow to the place where they'd no-doubt been keeping Rachel.   What they weren't expecting to happen however, was for Evelyn to miss one of the cleaning bots on its rounds and fall over, dropping the tray of fresh food over the floor.   The bot in question immediately jumps into action and begins cleaning up the mess, but Evelyn doesn't get up at first. She stays sat for several seconds as her eyes seem to scan over the debris repeatedly, before what sounds like a frustrated growl emanates from the android and her clenched fist comes down on the cleaner, smashing its chassis and stopping it in its tracks.   The sheer anger emanating from what should truly be an emotionless robot sends a shiver down their spine, and for a moment it feels like a punch to their own gut as the little cleaning bot crumples in on itself. It dawns on Rue that the flickers of emotion that they picked up on during their previous visit might not have been fake after all, although they’re not entirely sure how an android could possibly have this much of, for lack of a better word, a soul.   Mindful of the very real possibility that Evelyn will turn back towards the kitchen, they have a quick look around the hallway, wondering if they should retreat back the way they came, or if they can somehow slip past Evelyn unseen by sneaking into another room.   "Oh, no," Evelyn says as she quickly begins to pick up the pieces of both the meal and the robot, stacking them atop the tray and hastily standing and charging back towards the kitchen. In the brief second that Rue has before needing to act, they catch a glimpse of Evelyn's new face.   Gone is the porcelain and segmentations that made up her visage before, she now has a sort of rudimentary flesh sculpted in the same image as before. The resemblance is all the more uncanny though, leaving Rue feeling deeply disturbed. While the emotionless mask is gone, this new form couldn't help but evoke an uncomfortable sense of otherness. There is something about the way the eyes move in her sockets, and the lips move past the teeth as she mutters to herself. The way her features are completely free of marks or blemishes. It was a close facsimile of a human face, but not close enough.   Rue and Jasmine have barely a moment to think before Evelyn barges back through the door. With Jasmine blissfully unaware, Rue must make a quick decision on what to do next.   Taking a chance, Rue pulls Jasmine down behind the cupboards, hiding them from sight. They purposefully leave the door they just came through ever so slightly ajar, pushing it slightly with their telekinesis so it creaks faintly on its hinges. They hold their breath as Evelyn enters the kitchen once more, sending a silent prayer out into the universe that this will work out they way they hoped.   Peering through the panelling of the cupboard, Rue watches silently as Evelyn hurries into the kitchen and dumps the contents of the tray into a nearby bin. Sparing little thought for her robotic compatriot, she makes her way back over to the fridge and begins to retrieve more ingredients before turning and stopping in her tracks.   "That's... not right," she mutters as she spots the door left ajar opposite her, "Intruders."   She drops the foods onto the counter and scans the room, her eyes switching out in place of a set with glowing orange sclera as she mutters "Activating Infrared." and Rue's heart sinks. The robot's head snaps towards where the two women are hiding and she says, "Who's there?"   ''I really hoped she wouldn't have infrared.'' They sigh, the words barely a whisper. ''Be ready to run.'' They say quietly to Jasmine before standing up, locking eyes with the android before them. They hold up their hands in surrender, taking a step around the units in the direction of Evelyn, positioning themself in between her and Jasmine.   Rue takes a deep breath, feeling a pang of sympathy for Evelyn. Part of them wonders if the android before them actually loves her master, if it's hurting her to see his obsession with Rachel, knowing that no matter how many upgrades she gets, she won't ever truly be the subject of his love.   Another part of Rue nervously wonders about this Doctor, and if they're already here. They wonder what Eli needs the Doctor for, but they're not going to wait around to find out.   Their eyes flash with something briefly and ever so faintly, the fire roaring to life at once, engulfing the android entirely. The flames cling to her clothes, her wig, everything they can find, greedily wishing to consume it all.   Pretty pleased with their decision, Rue quickly turns back to Jasmine and begins directing her to run out of the kitchen and into the mansion proper. They however, are stopped in their tracks as, much to their surprise, in stead of sounding an alarm or attacking them, Evelyn screams.   The android claws at her clothes, her hair and even her artificial skin as the fire engulfs her, crying out in fear and anguish "No! No! NOOO!"   Her cries quickly die out as her voice modulator is rendered useless and the android begins to collapse, her skeletal legs failing as she tries to hold herself up, before she collapses to her knees. A crackling, gargling sound can be heard emanating from somewhere as her eyes remain fixed on Rue in the few moments she has before she falls forward, her segmented skull splitting open to reveal an atrophied and burned out human brain.   To be continued...