Chapter 63 - Black Silver-lining

Upstairs 

East Wing 

Control Room

The doors automatically opened by sensors as they walked into the wide hall having a wide window made of glasses in front, air computers widely in front at several displays. They walked towards it.

"This place keeps getting better," Rory said looking around at the amazing gadgets around.

"Fuck the agency," a young man said as his hands waved on the air transparent computer. 

"Race, any word on Liam" Sean said to him, he turned to face them, he had light brown hair and black eyes.

"Nope not yet, his comm is out of range," Race said turning to face the footage back.

Kayla rushed to her seat operating the system, her fingers going fast against the transparent keyboard.

"It's almost daybreak, boss can't be out on the open on a flight," Kayla said.

"I got a footage where he was last seen," Race said zooming in.

Their eyes land on it. It was inside the mall at the lobby, Liam standing as he merges with Ghost flying out, a figure they couldn't see very well was on the ground in shock, the clip went off.

"And that's it, it's been three hours" Race said stressed, exactly the amount of hours he has been looking for him, where could he be?

*Loud Flapping Sound Of Wings*

"Do you guys hear that?" Rory asked.

They all faced the window, they sighted a black shadow coming in speed.

"Oh shit! It's boss, give way" Race said as they moved away from the window.

"Why?" Iris asked puzzled.

"This" Sean motioned.

Iris squeaked when the shadow crashes through the window with force like a zap inside.

"His landing still needs some work" Sean adds.

The shadow was against the wall in a crack, it lessens revealing Liam as he forced his body up, the black shadow going back inside him, he stood fully facing them.

Iris gasps when she saw his blood-stained shirt, she rushed to him.

"Liam are you okay?" Iris asked beyond worried checking him.

Liam was silent with a dark expression.

"Boss!" Kayla and Race said worriedly.

Liam walks towards the air computer ignoring as he checked for something.

"Liam are you okay?" Sean asked getting more worried. 

"Kayla, I want you to hack this database," Liam said shifting air of information to her, she took it.

"I need the list of all the recruits or transfers of the agency, check for the name Hart," he said with a stern look.

Kayla just nodded as she did as she told.

"Liam!" Sean said placing a hand on his shoulder, Liam turned to him with an unreadable expression, but Sean could see it in his eyes, the pain and he lost feeling.

"Talk to me, what happened" he adds, knowing something was wrong, it was rare over the past years that Liam looked as emotional as this.

Liam stares into his eyes.

"Riley," Liam said darkly.

Sean froze so did Rory and Iris, Kayla, and Race just looking at them puzzled.

"I..." Liam closed his eyes for a brief second, not knowing how he would put it.

"I saw her Sean" he adds, opening his eyes.

"But Liam, Riley's dead," Iris said certainly.

"Boss" they turned to Kayla as she brought out a profile of Lorna Hart. Her picture came up.

"Riley," Rory said shocked, Iris and Sean froze.

"Lorna Hart, she has been in the agency for four years now" Kayla read out loud. Liam read the profile too. 

"Riley died three years ago, this Lorna has been in the agency for four years, a trainee for four years, and now transferred here" Sean reasoned.

"She looks exactly like Riley, how's that possible?' Rory said in wonder.

Liam was silent as he stared at the picture, he saw everything for himself, her birth history and every other information was different from Riley.

"Liam, she just looks like Riley, everything about her is the opposite" Sean assured him.

"I don't understand, why does sh--" Liam sighs closing her eyes, his fist clenched tightly.

"Riley died in your arms Liam, you saw it yourself, this agent just happens to look like her but...this... isn't Riley," Sean said softly.

Liam waved the screen information off and walked towards the broken window, he stared into the skies.

"Let's give him some space," Sean said.

Kayla and Race nodded as they walked out, along with Rory and Sean. Iris stood for a minute with shaky eyes, she could imagine how he felt right now, how lost he was when he thought about the possibility of Riley being alive. She turned to leave him to his solitude.

Liam stood watching the skies as the sun came up and brighten everywhere. Ghost surge out and stood beside him.

"Riley not Riley?" Ghost said.

The wind blew in lightly as Liam looks dark. Ghost faced front when Liam didn't answer him.

It was complete silence between the two, but it was calm and peaceful.

***

One Week Later

Lorna's Residence

A noise was all it took for Lorna to be alarmed, and there she was close to her balcony with a gun at hand.

Lorna peeks just her head, turning sideways, her eyes observing the medium space, but nothing just the dark space, she looked up at the ceiling the lights were busted.

"Great," she said sternly, now she had to get a new one.

Stepping out fully and observing the space more, the cool breeze blew against her skin, she shivered, rubbing her arms, making a shivering noise. She steps further to the edge of the pillar line and looked down, the neighborhood was just calm as usual, with city night lights everywhere.

"Am just overreacting" she said sighing as she turned.

She rubs her eyes walking back to the glass doors, she felt sleepy and that was the number one thing she would do once she's back inside, to crash on her bed.

Suddenly the hairs at the back of her neck stood up in alert, her eyes slowly widen as she gasps in realization, she felt something like a black shadow behind her, in a panic she turns pointing her gun but like a blink of an eye, the shadow came at her pushing her body against the wall, hard. She gasps at the impact as he held both her wrist, locked together in his tight grip above her head, her gun falling to the ground from the impact, his height towered over her, she was but a small doll in his presence.

Lorna couldn't scream that moment, it was like she lost her voice all of a sudden, the scream she wanted so badly was hung in her throat as she stared at his chocolate brown eyes like she was lost again in them, curse those eyes.

One of his hands was on the wall keeping a space between them, but she wondered for how long.

"I told you I will come back for you," Liam said darkly, his deep dark husky voice sent a shiver down Lorna's spine, it wasn't just the cold anymore, Lorna's heart slammed loudly in her chest, she stared into his chocolate eyes, trembling. The black ghoul came for her like he said he would. 'What now?' Lorna thought in extreme fear that held her voice. 'He's here for me'

*

Lorna gasps out of breath as she woke up, she sat up looking around in panic, no one was there and her balcony door was closed. She took a deep breath of relief as she turned to her laptop, it showed the profile of Riley Leah, she left opened before she slept off at the dining set.

"Thank God! It was just a dream" she said sighing again as she rubs her eyes, she got off her bed and heads to the balcony, she slides the glass open and steps out, she rested her arm at the flat pillar edge staring at the skies, the cold wind against her body.

***

One Building Away

Liam squat at the edge of the roof, watching her in a distance, the harsh wind flapped his clothes, his eyes sadden as he watches her from the distance he was, the wind carrying her dark midnight hair weightlessly.

'Am not Riley!'

The words she said to him still rang in his head like a constant reminder of the truth, a bitter truth he still found hard to believe because every time he looks at Lorna he saw his Riley, her looks were too convincing to turn a blind eye to the truth.

He watches as she turned and walked back inside, she turned to close the glass but paused for a minute. Liam blinks at her action, she just looked around once more like she felt someone was watching her but she just shrugs closing the glass.

His eyes drift away, as his fingers tighten against his knee raised. 'She's gone' that was the thought in his head, what he had to believe, there was no other way to see it, he had other things to wonder about... his Riley was gone and that lady over there was just an agent, his enemy.