We Are the Snakes Hidden Among the Clovers (A Project 863 Fanstory)

Prolouge

Three months after relocation...

     Tap tap tap. Tap tap.

     A man drumming his fingers on the dashboard of his car was watching the building he was parked across from. Blistering rays of sunlight bombarded the outside of his vehicle, the heat seeping in causing his forehead to sweat. He ran his eyes across the glass front of the building and could still remember the clover shaped logo that was no longer on it. Hate for this place burned inside him just as hot as the red car he was in. All too suddenly he could hear the echoes of screams that were forever trapped in his mind, and he could remember the... operations he performed that caused them.

     No, "operation" wasn't the right term.

     "Torture" was...

     He squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself to think of something else, anything else.

     C'mon, brain! he yelled internally, don't do this to me!

     But you deserve this, his mind taunted.

     No! We're going to make this right!

     You really think she is on your side, don't you?

     A familiar laugh from a distant memory caught the man off guard, causing him to snap his hazel eyes open in shock. His eyes then grew heavy as he gazed down at his lap, wishing he had something to wash away his past... at least for a little bit.

     The sound of his phone vibrating made him turn his head towards the passenger's side seat where the device was laying. He reached over to pick it up, scanning the familiar number displayed on it.

     He tapped the green button on the screen and held it up to his ear, answering, "Hello?"

     "They're out of creamer in the break room," a woman's voice said calmly in response.

     "Regular or vanilla?"

     "Hazelnut."

     The man sighed and ran his free hand through his greying brown hair, saying, "You called at the right time, Deb. I was considering going out to get a drink."

     She gave him a slight huff in return, "Are you having those thoughts, again?"

     Irritation hit him as he responded, "I can't believe that you are fine with what we did here."

     Hesitation.

     Then, "I'm not, Wes. I just don't allow it to slow me down. Now, has he found it?"

     Wesley glared at the front of the building he was watching and replied begrudgingly, "No, I don't think he has."

     "Good, the time hasn't come for them to start. You got the coordinates for the next spot, right?"

     He glanced down at the small case that was on the floorboard next to him, a sense of dread washing over him as he thought about its contents, and he said in a faraway tone, "Yeah."