When Evil Prevails

Section 20

Writer - Gabriel Shaytan

FX is a Rysher production in conjunction with Fireworks Entertainment Inc. and Winterset Productions Inc as well as Hallmark Entertainment.

Don’t own ‘em, aren’t bein’ paid.
   

         Mira looked up from where she was lying, covered with a blanket.  Light was filtering into the room around the sides of the curtains, one thing she knew straight away was that she wasn't in bed, the next was that she seemed to have a blinding headache and that she was still dressed from the previous day.
         She could hear Angie in the kitchen and could smell breakfast, her stomach growled loudly.  The realisation hit that she couldn’t remember having anything to eat for tea the previous night.

        ' Finally decided to join the living have we?' Angie asked from the small, functional kitchen.
        ' What's going on?'
        ' You got home and fell asleep on the couch, I didn't want to bother waking you so I just let you sleep'
' and what did you do?'
        ' I got something to eat and hit the sheets as well, we've got a long day ahead'
        ' Great.  Hopefully someone will find me something to do today' Mira said sarcastically.
        ' Want some breakfast?' Angie asked politely.
        ' Sure.  I'll just go freshen up first'
        ' Right, It'll be done in a few minutes'
 

         Rollie, clad in old jeans and a rumpled shirt, smiled at the what he'd just finished working on.  He'd been up for half an hour but soon it would be time to get to work… and Angie.  The small soundproof booth at the rear of the workshop had been reinforced and was now ready, whenever he found time, for something he knew he'd have to do.

         Stepping out of the door, Rollie looked around the loft, monsters and equipment filled it, throwing dark, ghastly shadows across the floor, huge silhouettes shown against the light streaming in through the window above the loft's double door.  The figures sometimes surprised him, even though he'd had them around for quite some time.  Sometimes, especially when he had something on his mind, it seemed as if they were staring at him.

         Then again, the ghastly demon, wickedly horned, fully black eyes, skin torn and stretched taut over the "bones" within seemed to radiate it's own malevolence.  The look in it's eyes similar to when he'd looked up into Loubar's eyes when he'd retrieved the bio-weapon for the FBI, pure hatred had stared back at him from Loubar's grey orbs.

         Now the hatred was mutual, before it had only been an annoyance, that Loubar had used his face for his work, but with what he'd done to Angela… it had become too personal to shrug off, to set aside.  He knew one of them had to die, Frank didn't agree but then, Rollie would never have believed Frank if he'd said otherwise.

         Moving across the floor he headed up the stairs at a run, he'd have to hurry if he was going to be at set on time, and this day especially, Angie wouldn't forgive him easily if he wasn't there, he'd promised.
 

        Viktor Loubar looked across the small room at the man sitting on the padded nineteenth century chair, the rest of the room was similarly furnished but it was the man who had his attention.  Rigid brown eyes gazed back at him from under the iron grey hair, not that the man was old, barely thirty in fact.  A newspaper sat in Loubar's lap not open, only showing the front page.
        ' What went wrong?' he asked finally.
        ' The bodyguard'
        ' What?  One bodyguard stopped you?'
        ' He was good, a professional, deadly'
        ' Did you get his name?'
        ' No, I was too busy running away so you'd know what happened'
        ' Do I have to do everything myself?'
        ' I'll handle it.  The last… watcher… didn't inform me about this man, he only returned a few days ago'
        ' I think not.  The plan was fine, everything was in place, one man shouldn't have made a difference.  I'm sorry but you're fired'

         The man watched for a moment, Loubar wasn't a man to be taken lightly, he was an unfeeling killer but he seemed to have finished with him… for now.  Loubar looked back at the paper as though dismissing the man entirely, something that showed what Loubar thought of him... it rankled to be taken so lightly.

        The cough of the silenced pistol ruffled the paper and the man looked down at the blood soaking his six hundred pound suit.  Standing unhurriedly as the man fell to the floor, Loubar stepped over the corpse, paused then looking down at the dead man said ' Actually I'm not sorry at all, I never did like you'
 

         Leaving, Viktor shook his head in regret, intelligent operatives were so hard to find these days, it was as if anyone with a shred of intelligence already worked for the other side.

         One man had foiled the attempt, that was the sort of person he needed working for him, a man that could think on his feet, that wasn't afraid to take on seven men alone.

         The streets of Berlin were cold, dark in places but darkness no longer bothered Viktor, he was one of those who lived half of their lives in the darkness.  Neither did daylight bother him, meeting during the day was no problem either, not for one of his talents.

        Thinking as he walked on, that he should have waited until the plan had been done before returning to America, Viktor shrugged.  The men should have been able to handle the job, as he had done in New York such a short time before.  Now his efforts would have to go into finding another weak link, another chink in the armour to get at his target.
 

        Rollie's view narrowed as he pulled up to the gate of the set, they were still closed and at this time of morning a reasonable amount of people should already have been working, getting ready for the coming day.  A security guard stepped out and Rollie asked what was going on, the man hadn't been told, only that all the crew was to park their vehicles after checking in and then report to the main set.

        Wondering what was going on, Rollie parked the van and stepped out, pausing before turning back inside and grabbing his P.D.A, switching the microphone on and buzzing Angie's own P.D.A.

        Stepping onto the set, Rollie could see that most of the crew were already there, but that Spielberg hadn't shown yet.  Nerves tingling he looked around, studying the set, looking for anything out of place from when he'd left it the night before.
        ' What's going on Rollie?' he heard Angie's voice come over the P.D.A.
        ' Not much… stay with Mira at the car for now'
        ' You sure?'
        ' Yeah… let's just see what's going on first'

         It wasn't long before he found out.  Someone, despite the trouble they'd get into from breach of contract, had been selling the storyline, names and pictures of actors and actresses and behind the scenes shots from the set to newspapers and pasting them on the Internet under a false address.  It was something Rollie had seen happen before, though not to such a degree as it was here, there was even got a photo of Frank, Mira, Angie and himself on the board that stood at one side of the stage.

         Lifting his P.D.A, Rollie edged away from the crowd, slipping behind the walls of the set.  Reaching a point behind Spielberg but facing the crowd, from his place of concealment he slowly swung the P.D.A, it's video camera scanning the crowd.  ' It could have been Loubar in disguise, though unless he was framing me for it I don't know why he would' Rollie thought to himself.

         Spielberg was not happy, because despite the security arrangements it was still happening.  Privacy was one thing he insisted on until the release of the picture or unless he himself authorised the release of the information.  His speech was to that effect, also warning that anyone found would be charged and that extra precautions were being made to catch the individual.

         Meeting at an end, Rollie moved away, returning to the van and moving it closer to where he was working, Frank meeting him there with Mira and Angie a minute or so behind.
        ' Morning Angela, sleep well?' Rollie asked without a hint of a smile.
        ' Yeah… you?'
        ' Fine, well… when I got to bed anyway, I was up working for a while.  How about you Mira… you look refreshed'
        ' Mira had a nice long nap… didn't you' Angie grinned.
        ' So Rol how did…'

         Rollie threw him a dark eyed look, immediately cutting off the shorter detective.

        '… you go with those sequences you were showing me?' Frank asked quickly.
        ' Fine Frank.  I guess we'd better get started on them' he finished, looking at Angie.
        ' What am I doing?' Mira asked.
        ' Take a look at the video I captured at the meeting, see if anyone's sweating… if you know what I mean'
        ' Right' she replied, following Angie into the van where Angie set her up at a smaller workstation they'd installed a while ago.
 

         Out of range, Frank looked at Rollie and asked what he had begun before.  ' So how did it go?'
        ' It was great… now can we get to work?'
        ' Sure… but one question'
        ' What?'
        ' Why are you doing this now you know that Angela feels the same as you do?'

         Rollie looked at Frank, startled by the question, it wasn't one he'd come up with an answer to.  ' Nothing happened Frank… we didn't even talk through the whole meal'
        ' Oh… I just thought… '
        ' Nothing happened ok?  She's just someone I've known a long time'
        ' Ok'

         Letting out a sigh of relief that came out more like a huff of anger, Rollie headed over and started talking with the other effects artist that he was working with, Frank following after a moment, something didn't feel right.