Through the Pitch Dark, Part 2
X-Division - 1:00 PM
Walternate walked into Kurtz’s office. Kurtz stood up and saluted.
“Herr Minister,” Kurtz said.
Walternate closed the door behind him.
“I just heard,” he said, “X-Division was created to investigate tragedies of unimaginable scale. We know that there's no crime more heinous than the theft of a child."
“I'll do everything I can to find him, sir,” Kurtz said.
“I don't doubt your resolve, Wilhelm,” Walternate said, “Actually, that's why I'm here. There's no shame in letting it fall to another desk if it's too personal.”
“It’s been 36 years since the Candyman took Tatiana’s daughter,” Kurtz said, “Thirty-five years since she laughed or played like other kids. We’ve known Tatiana for years. He had her daughter for two days. When we got Irina back, she wasn’t a little girl anymore. Irina’s 44 now, and she still hasn’t recovered. If there’s anyone you want on this case…it’s us. Tatiana’s driving into downtown to help.”
“Very well,” Walternate said.
“My only concern is that I don't have all of my agents to help me,” Kurtz said, “How long until this is over, sir, until our Angela comes home?”
“You'll be happy to know we made a breakthrough,” Walternate said, “We found something in her brain chemistry, something unique. If it's what enables her to cross between worlds, you'll have your team back very soon. I know what it's like to lose a daughter. And even when they come back, the damage is irreparable, as Tatiana can tell you. If you need someone to talk to, Wilhelm, let me know.”
He turned and left. Downstairs in the Situation Room, Louise and Olga paced around the floor, shouting orders to each agent.
“We need a lead, folks,” Louise said, “Something to go on.”
“It's been about twelve hours since Max Kassel went missing,” Olga said, “That gives us until tomorrow night to find him.”
“The Candyman’s last kidnapping was two years ago,” Annie explained to Angela, handing her the case reports.
“I remember when this happened, reading about it, but they never released to the public what he did to these kids,” Angela said, “For good reason, obviously. It's like they've had the life drained out of them.”
“Acute deterioration of organ tissue, depleted immune systems,” Annie said, “Some of the kids even came back with cancer.”
Angela pointed to an image in one of the case reports. “Those incisions, why there?”
“Posterior cerebral cortex,” Annie said, “From that point on the body, you can access the spine.”
“Okay, Di, what do we know about these cases?” Angela asked.
Diana turned from her desk.
“The abductions appear to be random, occurring every two years from 1974 to 2008,” she said, “The victims are always children ages seven through ten. They are taken, then released 48 hours later with massive internal degradation. The victims describe the suspect as male, age unknown. In the majority of cases, other than a shaved head, there's no physical description given, because he wore a mask.”
“What do you mean in the majority of cases?” Angela said.
“Two of the victims reported being held captive by two suspects, one young and one old,” Diana said.
“Then why haven't we expanded the profile to look for two suspects?” Angela said.
“Angie, these kids were really scared,” Olga said, “There are inconsistencies in their statements.”
“Well, that doesn't mean that they're not true,” Annie said.
“Di, can you please pull up the victim's bios?” Angela said. “Specifically the two who reported two suspects.”
Diana pulled up the two bios on her desk computer.
“Okay, so Amanda Holt and Irina…Kirova,” Angela said.
She turned to Olga.
“No,” Olga said, “No, just no. You are not doing that.”
“We should speak to your sister again,” Annie said.
“That's not a good idea,” Louise said, “General Kirova is protective. Olga even more.”
“Well, we should at least ask,” Angela said.
“Angie,” Olga said, “Don't even think about talking to my sister.”
Angela got out of her chair.
“Oh, no,” Olga said, “You are not asking him!”
A minute later, Angela and Annie barged into Kurtz’s office, Olga angrily running in after them.
“I would like to interview Olga’s sister,” Angela said.
“Excuse me?” Kurtz said.
“Hell no!” Olga said.
“Irina reported she was held by two men, an older man and a younger man,” Annie said, “Now, if that's true, she may remember other things about this guy that could help our investigation.”
“Agents Hansen and Humboldt,” Kurtz said, “I speak for General Kirova when I say her daughter went through something no child should have to go through. And when she finally came home, we asked her questions about it, going over the details again and again, forcing her to relive, it, when all she wanted to do was forget. Eventually, Tatiana stopped it. And for what? We didn’t solve the case. It’s continued since then. Irina has never gotten much sleep in the last 36 years.”
“You did your best, but if I spoke to her, maybe I could get more out of her,” Angela said.
“I’m right here,” Tatiana said, walking in.
Angela and Annie spun around. Annie immediately saluted the old general. Louise stepped back and Olga stepped protectively in front of Tatiana. Angela, though awkwardly stared at her. This must be Tatiana Kirova. Her Olga used to talk fondly about her late mother and her adventures as a Tsarist spy in the KGB, but most of the pictures Olga kept of her didn’t have her in combat fatigues like the kind she was wearing now. She was much older too; her blond hair had streaks of white. Wasn’t Tatiana also a friend of the late Director? That got her thinking. If Tatiana was still alive here, was the Director also alive? She made a note to bring that up with Diana later, if she got the chance.
“And if you’re going to ask me, it’s no,” Tatiana said.
“Uh, General,” Angela said, “With all due respect, maybe there are some things you don’t want to hear.”
Tatiana stepped closer to Angela, despite Olga’s efforts to keep her back.
“Now, there's something I want you to hear, Agent Hansen,” she said, “My daughter’s condition since she was taken has deteriorated so steadily, she'll be lucky if she makes it another year.”
“We get that,” Annie said, “But Irina’s life is not the only one at stake right now.”
“Dismissed,” Kurtz said.
Tatiana’s house - 4:00 PM
“ ...devotes his life to righting wrongs, protecting the innocent, and punishing the guilty,” the broadcaster said, “Crenzler is known to the underworld as The Shadow. Never seen, only heard, his true identity is known only to his constant friend and aide, Margot Lang. Today's story…"
Tatiana returned home and entered the living room. Irina sat at a table, listening to a pulp fiction radio show. Tatiana walked past her and went to the kitchen, where Boris was preparing that evening’s dinner.
“Hey,” Tatiana said.
Boris turned and smiled, brushing aside his gray hair.
“Evening,” he said, “Noticed there's a police officer parked out front all afternoon. It's true? The Candyman's back?”
Tatiana sighed. “Yeah.”
Boris rolled his eyes. “I knew we shouldn’t have moved from Frankfort.”
“Did we have a choice, Boris?” Tatiana said. “Irina didn’t agree with the air. And you have to agree the tax incentives are great. Anne certainly thought so.”
“Do you think he'll try to come back here?” Boris said.
“No,” Tatiana said, “It is just for my peace of mind. How's Irina?”
They looked at Irina.
“She's scared,” Boris said, “The story about the missing boy's been all over the news today. Did you eat?”
“Not since breakfast,” Tatiana said.
Boris opened the fridge and got out more food. “Has there been any progress in the case?”
“No,” Tatiana said, "One of Colonel Kurtz’s agents wanted to reinterview Irina, Angela Hansen. She thinks there may be some detail he's forgotten. I told her it was a waste of time.”
“I've always liked Angela,” Boris said, “She’s very smart. Anne liked her too.”
Tatiana sipped from a bottle of vodka. “We shouldn’t put Irina through this stress.”
"She's a strong woman, Tatiana,” Boris said, “She’s an adult, remember. She’s strong enough to talk about it, even if we’re not.”
X-Division
Annie walked over to Angela’s desk and handed her a pack of sunflower seeds.
“Thought you might be hungry,” she said.
“Where’d you get those?” Angela said.
“Imported from California,” Annie said, “Very expensive. Olga tried them, in between yelling at me about Irina, and said they're great."
“Thanks,” Angela said, taking a handful, “So after the victims were abducted, the kids came back with massive cell degeneration and internal-organ atrophy. All those conditions are symptomatic of old age too, right?”
“I suppose so,” Annie said, “Why?"
“Well, aging has to do with the pituitary gland,” Angela said. “Which can be accessed through the back of the neck.”
“Did you suddenly become a doctor?” Annie said.
“I…I took some classes in college,” Angela said, “The pituitary gland regulates hormones. Anyway, my point is that some of the victims mentioned there were two suspects, one old and one young, but they all said that they never saw the suspects at the same time."
“Uh, okay,” Annie said.
“Well, what if there weren't two people?” Angela said. “What if there was only one person who was literally changing from old to young? What if the Candyman is stealing youth?”
“You sound a lot like me these days,” Annie said, “Okay, in theory, concentrated pituitary hormones could be processed in some way to accelerate healing, maybe even reverse aging, but if that's true, it would also cause some serious side effects like—”
“Anemia, tremors, hypoglycemia,” Angela said, “High blood sugar. High enough—”
“He could secrete sugar in his sweat?” Annie finished.
Angela’s earpiece rang.
“Hansen,” she said, “Okay, I'll be there. Just me? Thank you.”
She hung up.
“Who was that?” Annie said.
“General Kirova,” Angela said, “Unfortunately, she says only I can do it. Tomorrow morning.”
Annie cursed. “Just my luck.”
Tatiana’s house - June 29, 2010, 9:00 AM
Boris opened the door for Angela and welcomed her in.
“It's nice to see you again, Angela,” he said, leading her to the living room, "Irina is looking forward to meeting you again. Here we are.”
Tatiana sat next to Irina, who was playing Bach on a piano. Tatiana tapped Irina’s shoulder.
“Irina, Agent Hansen’s here,” she said.
“Oh, uh, Angela is fine, ma’am,” Angela said, “Olga sends her regards from Konstansatdt. It’s, uh, nice to meet you, Irina.”
Irina turned from her keyboard and weakly shook Angela’s hand.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” Angela said.
Irina was about her age, or so her case file said, but she looked far older than 46. She had her father’s hair, though it had grayed more than one would expect from someone her age. Her face was pale and gaunt, veins visible, and her eyes had lost a lot of their shine. Her hands trembled as she brought them away from the keyboard. Angela hadn’t yet met the Irina in her world and had only seen her in Olga’s pictures, but she always looked better than the woman in front of her.
“Did you really save that school bus of kids from those RAF terrorists last year?” Irina said. “Is it true?"
“Well, I was just doing my job,” Angela said.
“Oh, that's so cool,” Irina said, “So... my mom says you want to talk about the man who took me thirty years ago."
“Yeah,” Angela said, “Would that be okay?”
Irina hesitated. Then she sighed and nodded.
“Sure,” she said.
“Maybe we could talk somewhere else,” Angela said, “Like, where’s your favorite place to go?”
Zypressenpark (Kyparades Park) - 9:30 AM
Angela and Irina walked along a dirt path. Irina limped slightly behind Angela, hanging onto Angela’s arm with one hand and supporting herself with a cane in the other. From the street, Tatiana lingered near her car with Kurtz and watched the two sit down on a bench. Kurtz’s earpiece rang.
“Kurtz here,” he said.
“The Candyman has had the boy for 32 hours,” Walternate said, “We have 16 hours left. How are we doing?”
“Nothing yet, but we're working every lead we have,” Kurtz said.
“You'll be happy to hear you'll have your team back together soon,” Walternate said, “Our Angela’s mission on the other side is almost complete, and we'll be able to bring her home."
Kurtz looked at Angela. “And what about this Angela.”
“We're going to pull her out of the field tomorrow morning,” Walternate said, “I don't believe we'll be needing her anymore. Call me if you find anything.”
He hung up.
“Was it the Minister?” Tatiana asked.
Kurtz nodded. They looked at Angela and Irina.
"My mother says I need to forget about what happened,” Irina said.
“Yeah?” Angela said. "But it's hard to forget, isn't it? You know, I can imagine what it must have been like for you... how scared you must have been, how much you, you really wanted to get back to your family, and to your friends.”
“I have nightmares about this sometimes,” Irina said, “Had them for the last 36 years.”
“Really?” Angela said. “Could you tell me about them?"
Irina thought for a moment. “I always remember the smell first. It's musty, like our attic. He comes to the room wearing a mask to check on that thing stuck in my neck. It feels like... it's stealing my energy.”
She clutched her head. “I'm so tired. I feel sick.”
“Irina, you said there were two men, one old and one young, right?” Angela said. “Did they ever talk to you?”
“No,” Irina said, “Nothing I remember. It’s been too long.”
“Irina, what is it?” Angela said. “You can tell me.”
“I know the Candyman's back,” Irina said.
“Yeah, he is,” Angela said.
Tears welled up in Irina’s eyes.
“He said if I told anyone about him, he, he'd come back,” Irina said, “He said this time...he'd hurt my parents and sister.”
“That was 36 years ago,” Angela said, “That won’t happen again. I promise. Irina, there is another child out there. He's been taken, and he wants to go home and see his family too, to live to your age. You can help him.”
Irina looked at Angela with resolve.
“I remember their voices,” she said, “Um, they both said the same thing. I think it was a prayer.”
“I know it’s been a long time, but can you remember the words?” Angela said.
“Some of them,” Irina said, “‘Through the pitch dark... comes a cleansing fire’."
X-Division - 10:00 AM
“‘Through the pitch dark comes a cleansing fire’,” Annie read, walking over to Louise and Olga, “The words ‘pitch’ and ‘dark’ are common to several major Catholic sacramental prayers from the early 20th century. Uh, the words appear in the liturgy of over a dozen churches in Thrace.”
“A dozen we know of,” Olga said, “You know, I thought it was bad enough someone's kidnapping kids. Now we find out he's kidnapping kids for God?”
, plus he could pull off a bumbling old man approach the first time Ryder encounters them (Like Malcolm in the Middle which I assume will still be a show in TTL) before the reveal, Carrie Fisher could voice old FemShep assuming she doesn't share the same death date as her OTL counterpart (Given how Otto is going to live longer this might be possible, it's up to Zen for this one).
