INTERLUDE ( chapter 8.5**)**

  "But all the miles that separate

  They disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face..."

  -3 Doors Down

  It had been almost a month since Carl had kissed her on the forehead and asked if they were ordering pizza for dinner. She had mumbled something and he smiled as he left. That was the last time she'd seen him. The first couple days he didnt return, she figured he was caught up in his work. He did that sometimes, it was annoying, but its who he was. After a week, she started to worry. She had gone to see Skeever, he had assured her, if anyone could take care of himself, it was Carl. Skeever, along with Seven were preoccupied with getting the agency up and running. They weren't much help. So, it was just her. She took her questions to the streets, She was especially brutal in her tactics, but she managed to squeeze the information out that she needed. It was just a name, but it was enough.

  Kane.

  Chloe slid a hundred across the bar to Pete. Pete had a way of finding things out. The bartender set a mug on it, when he picked the mug back up, the money was gone.

  He disappeared in the back and when he came back out he poured a beer and slid it across to her. She picked it up and retrieved the scrap of paper with the address that was under it. She left without drinking the beer. The address was across town at another bar, apparently Kane had a booth reserved there. She flew there. In the mirror dimension she gave zero fucks who saw her armor. She landed on the street with a heavy thump. The address said 324 Elmore Way. The shops were numbered, the bar was not. Between 322 and 326 was a single door, no sign above it. A secret bar. She looked up both ends of the street, she had no idea what she was walking into. This was not the best part of town either. Whatever, Carl could be counting on her right now. She had to do this. She pushed the door open. The bar was dark, really dark, she blinked a few times but couldnt see shit. Her helmet snapped shut, the eyes glowing green as she looked around with night-vision. She was in a hallway with a door at the end. She opened the door and stepped through, her helmet snapping back. It was still dimly lit, but she could see in here. There had been a low chatter when she stepped in, now it was silent. Everyone was staring at her.

  "I'm here for Kane."

  Her voice sounded too loud in the silent bar. No one said anything, but the bartender made a slight notion with his head to a booth in the corner. She gave him a nod and walked to the booth. A man with bright red skin and meticulously groomed goatee sat with a drink in front of him. He watched her approach and motioned for her to take a seat. She sat.

  "Do you know why I'm here?"

  "Judging by the armor, I'd say you're a teammate of the Sentinel."

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  "I'm his wife. What did you do to him?"

  "I sent him on a vacation."

  "Where?"

  "To a pocket dimension of my own design."

  "Bring him back! NOW!"

  She slammed her fist on the table as she said it. The glasses jumped, one fell and liquid leaked off the side of the table onto the floor.

  "Easy now, I tried. He left the pocket dimension."

  "What? I dont...explain!"

  Kane leaned forward.

  "I built it to look like hell...its not supposed to have an exit. I use magic to teleport my enemies in and give them a little time to think, then I snap them back."

  "Then snap him back already!"

  "You're not listening...he left. I dont know how he got out, but he did. I can't snap him back because I dont know where he is."

  "Then take me there."

  She stood and grabbed his shirt, a blade extending from her other hand.

  "You're coming with me."

  "Thats not..."

  "Either you come with me, or I put this blade through your throat right here, and you die in this shitty little booth."

  "Alright, alright..."

  He threw back the rest of his drink and set the glass down.

  "We'll need to go outside for this, its...unpleasant."

  She stood, her hand still gripping his shirt. She let go.

  "Lead the way."

  They walked outside and Kane led them to a patch of ground behind the bar.

  "This is gonna ruin my suit you know."

  She held the blade up,

  "I'll ruin your face if you dont shut up and take us there."

  "Fine. Hold onto my shoulder."

  She grabbed his shoulder and Kane snapped his fingers. Hands, dead, blackened hands reached up out of the ground and started pulling them down. Down, down, down they went. Then they were falling. Kane floated down slowly. Chloe fell to the ground with a thump and a groan. They landed in the same spot Carl had. Chloe got to her feet and looked around, glowing rivers of lava, strange rock formations, this place was odd. In the distance there was a noise, it sounded like screaming.

  "This way."

  Kane was pointing. They started walking. Not a hundred feet from where they landed they saw the trail of carnage Carl had left.

  "Dammit. Your husband owes me, I paid a lot of money to have these Imps lab grown."

  "He doesn't owe you shit."

  Kane looked at her and rolled his eyes.

  "Look, you can be mad, I had every intention of snapping him back, I really did. All he had to do was wait here for a couple hours."

  "Did you tell him that?"

  "Well, no."

  "THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

  Kane looked slightly offended at her outburst. Chloe didnt care, she was tired of his mouth. She started following the trail of dead, they led her to a pile of dead with more around it. She kept going, more dead imps. She stopped to run her hand over claw marks in the rock. Him and those claws. Carl was nothing if not predictable. Ahead the bodies stopped. He must have flown from here. She looked back at Kane.

  "Go on, I'll wait here."

  He still looked annoyed. She flew further, the walls slowly closing in. Ahead on the ground lay the two behemoths. One with a hole through its head, the other missing a leg with long claw marks down its back. She could see his boot prints in the dust. They abruptly stopped, she flew forward a bit more until she found where he landed. A Fun-dip wrapper lay on the ground, licked clean. Definitely Carl. She looked up, there was a hole in the ceiling, she flew up to the hole and went through. She found herself in a white void, surrounded by the floating bodies of at least fifty or sixty imps.

  "Oh Carl..."

  Besides the hole and the dead bodies, there was nothing. Nothing as far as the eye could see. Where did he go? Is he trapped out there, alone? She descended to the ground. There was nothing she could do. If she went into that void, she would end up lost as well. She still had their son, Robbie to think about. She flew back to Kane. Carl was on his own. She had done everything she could. Now, all she had left, was to go home and wait.