“Our Plasma Soaked Valentine’s in 1D” Chapter 2
Thursday, February 12, 1998
Two young women, Tina and Ash, are driving down the road in Ash’s Nineteen Ninety-Eight Mitsubishi Diamante. Both are talking a million miles a minute about everything and nothing trying to avoid the bringing up the fact “The Legacies” still included Nancy, but that they would not be contacting her, for reasons they know and you will come to learn.
“So you trying to tell me you think the killer is the Miner from way back in Nineteen Seventy-Three? After not being seen in twenty five years he just crawls out the mine tonight, coincidentally on the anniversary of his disappearance?” Ash inquired incredulously.
“You really going to sit there and act like that is the strangest thing you have heard? You have literally seen the Olympian Gods battle Titans, you have been to space on an alien spaceship, you have seen the Spirit of Christmas Past attack my family, three times and you have yourself been bitten by a vampire, turned only to be saved by Kincade and Nancy working a combo of techno Wiccan magic….But a killer returning after twenty five years, that is too much for you to believe?” Tina does not even try to hide her disbelief of Ash’s reaction
“Well when you just lay it all out on the table like that, I guess that actually doesn’t seem to odd by comparison does it?” Ash acknowledges the truth about Tina’s statement, she just did so without revealing that while she knows these things have all happened, the scars remain till this day, both physical and mental, but the truth is, after what happened on Olympus with Nancy, the memories themselves are not there any longer. She remembers things when she is told, but she can not trigger the memories herself, and she doesn’t know how to tell the, What if this mans her vampirism is back and fighting for control, with Nancy gone what would they do? Even scarier, what if it’s not that, what if she is developing dementia or some other mental condition, can you even do that in your twenties?
“Earth to Ash. Zero Hour 9 Am there Rocket Man. You ok Ash?” Tina could still go from snark to heart quicker and more genuinely than any one on the planet could.
“Yeah sorry got a little lost in thought, been happening a decent bit lately.”
“We work together and live in the same house, trust me I have noticed Ash.”
“You were not going to ask why?” the hurt coming out thick as molasses in Ash’s question.
“Honestly?” Tina peaked over to see Ash’s facial reaction to the asking of the obvious question. It was one of eager anticipation and fear in equal parts. “No I wasn’t going to..”the anticipation was replaced with hurt but the fear remained the same, as it often did. “…with everything we had all been through over the last few months, fuck lets be real, the last five or so years, I figured you were having a hard time like I was adjusting to the changes. I love you Ash, your my twin sister from another mister you know this. I figured when you were ready we would talk about it. I am sorry if I have been so stuck on me I haven’t been a good friend the way I should of been” the hurt had been replaced with that warmth that Tina adored so much about Ash, but oddly the fear yet remained.
“Well, I am glad we got the emotional bit out of the way before we got to Kincade’s house. I mean that is going to be a whole other thing, I can foresee yelling, screaming, crying and reconciliation.”
“Your psychic abilities are coming back?”
“No Tina, my knowing you guys for half a decade is coming back to me, quickly.”
“Your funny Ash.”
“If only I was joking Tina. If only I was joking.”
“Why do you say it like that? Like it was some epic line that you had to repeat for effect?”
“For effect…duh”
The shared laughter the girl shared as they turned into the Darabont driveway felt great, was the most real laugh they had experienced in months. The last time they had shared a laugh that real was before the trip to Olympus.
“He can sure as hell build it up quick can’t he?” Ash stared out the car window in utter amazement at the multi-story building next to the Darabont house.
“Jesus Tina, wasn’t it only like two floors last time we were here?”
“I believe that is correct yes my dear Watson”
“And how many would you say it is now?”
“I wouldn’t Ash, I wouldn’t”
“That really doesn’t answer my question though.”
“Why don’t you just ask him.” Tina nodded out in front of the car to were Kincade Darabont stood in his business suit and sunglasses looking like a Reservoir Dog.
“Ash hon, how you doing? Been a minute. Tina, you good?” The question was meant to both check on his friend whom he had not seen in months, but also to ask why they were there.
Tina got out of the car while motioning up at the large building that sat beside the Darabont house. “Guess asking what you been up to would be pointless wouldn’t it?”
“The building took less than a week Tina, it has been a few months. I have kept myself busy with this and that. You know I gotta stay busy.”
“How many stories is it now?” Ash, nodding towards the building, asked as she joined her friends in front of the car.
“Seventeen floors, over four hundred rooms, half being used for research and development and half being used for productions, plus a few for administrative, why are you guys here?”
“You didn’t call?”
“No one answered.”
“You know what a message is right?”
“Anyone going to clue me in here?”
“Told you we should have used the Legacy Symbol.”
“The what?”
“I told you that isn’t a thing Ash.”
“Why not though? We have Kincade, The Super Genius of all Super Genius and we do not have a Legacy Symbol?”
“I really do not know what is going on here.”
“Have you seen the news Kincade?”
“Which one Tina?”
“Local news, any of them?”
“Hang on…” Kincade reached up and touched his glasses, while not obvious to anyone else he was tuning his glasses into the station watching it through his glasses in surround screen. “The mine.”
“Yes, murder of twenty five. Tina seems to think that the killings have something to do with what happened with the mine collapse twenty-five years ago.” Ash said it expecting a chuckle out of Kincade, dismissing Tina’s concerns
“You contacted the others?” Kincade’s bypassing of Ash’s statement revealed that he shared at least some of Tina’s thoughts on the subject. Tina looked to Ash to indicate it was her duty.
“Define the others?” Ash asked about the pink elephant in the room without asking about it.
“No time just tell me who to expect.”
“Syd is on his way, Nancy I did not try, TJ…”
“…is here.” The voice of of TJ came from behind the trio.
Without turning around Kincade spoke to TJ, “You know when I told you if you ever need anything, I meant it right?”
“Of course Cade. I don’t want you to think I…”
“No need nor time for explanation Tee, some crazy fuck has butchered twenty-five people tonight and in Salem, no one is going to be able to do anything about it but yes.”
“Any idea who it is yet? You searching online already aren’t you?”
Kincade smiled that TJ knew him well enough to know he was researching everything he could and checking every police data entry on the subject while they were talking. While Kincade was a master at multi tasking (doing only five things at a time is just lazy), and most people would never be able to pick up on his actions, TJ knew his best friend well enough to know when he was not fully in the moment with him.
“Would you believe me if I told you it was the miner they couldn’t find twenty-five years ago? That hes come back to get revenge on the city for forgetting him?”
“Of course I would, after all we have seen, not a damn thing would shock me” TJ replied honestly and without emotion.
“See?!?” Tina stated to Ash
“Shut up Tina.”
“You guys bitch way too much.” Syd arrived through the shadows, seeing the group for the first time since they left for Olympus.
“Syd.”
“TJ. Are you ok my friend?”
“Been better, but we got work to do, we can have a drunk pity party for our situation afterwards ok?”
“Some of us started that months ago TJ.”
“Ward Harry. The miner was Ward Harry. Had three kids, all still live in Salem. And you are not going to believe who his son is?”
“Who?” Ash asked, ever eager for gossip.
Kincade smiled as he removed his glasses revealing one bloodshot eye and one eye replaced with a camera.
“William Harris. Your boyfriend.”
