Slip

The Underworld

It was pouring rain when a man approached me in the streets with a note. I initially thought it might be from Dirk, since he was the last Wainwright patient I had yet to recapture but it was something much larger than Heroes and Villains. "Are you Margo Nook?" the man asked, his blonde hair glued to his skin by the moisture. The droplets slid down his face and followed the locks that clung to his cheek.

The sound of the water hit my umbrella audibly as I hesitantly nodded. He handed me a damp piece of paper. It struck me how dry the note was when compared to the downpour we currently stood in. The man had intentionally protected it which spoke volumes about how important it was to him.

The man sneezed and pulled up his hood, shivering. "Would you give this to the police? I understand you are close with several people in the department... Maybe they'll listen to you."

I frowned and nodded once more. He turned to walk away. "Wait..." I stopped him by gently grabbing his wrist. He faced me and I placed my umbrella in his hand. He tilted his chin in appreciation and left. The raindrops patted the top of my head as I carefully unfolded the paper. It was a missing person flyer with a 12 year old girl on it. Immediately, I recognized her as the stranger's daughter. Not only because of the care he'd taken to preserve it, but also the almond shape of their eyes which were identical shades of lime green.

I placed a hand over my heart at the overwhelming empathy I felt for him. My hair was beginning to streak a darker shade of gold from the absorption of the rain, causing my shoulders to grow damp and chill. I headed home, worried I might contract a cold if I didn't get out of the downpour soon.

My mind was filled with questions. Why me? Was the APD simply ignoring the man? Why wouldn't they help him? Was there a chance that Dirk had set this up? Perhaps this was an elaborate trap, but kidnapping was so unlike Dirk. Even if I'd been forced underground by the media circus revolving around the Wainwright recaptures, Dirk knew who I was. It wouldn't take much for him to find me. Resorting to kidnapping was extreme, even for him.

Of course, the SCU had been tracking me for a while now. They were desperately trying to document me: my secret identity, my powers, and even who my connections were. Betsy had been in the line of fire consistently for the last one. The result of which had been that I had been forced to go to ground to protect those closest to me.

I frowned at the poster which had begun to fall apart in my hand. I needed to talk to Betsy so I could figure out my next move. I reached home, and the instant I walked through the doors, hot air rushed past me. It was a pleasant change from the frigid wet outside.

I texted Betsy to come by and went to change out of my wet clothes. The whole time I struggled with the sticky way my shirt clung to me I was thinking about the little girl. The poster had informed me that her name was Rayne Lochlear and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself to wait on Betsy, by the time she had arrived I was determined to go after the child.

I answered the door in my gear. Betsy grimaced and instantly pushed me away from the door closing it behind her. "Are you crazy? Did you or did you not tell me that Hourglass lives in this apartment complex?"

"I did, but this..." I handed her the paper, now a faded, crumpled, fragile thing, "has me all twisted." I stepped away from Betsy, beginning to pace, and pulling my fingers through my slick hair until they were caught at my ponytail.

Betsy examined the missing person flyer with a sigh. "I see... Look, I know kidnappings are brutal, but with Dirk out there, this might be a trap."

"I know," I responded as I sat down despondently. My hands were in my lap and I was hunched forward staring at the tan carpet of my living room.