I fought the law and...there were mixed results.

So you might not have noticed, but I'm not very good at making friends.  It's always been a thing with me, but when this starts to get government intelligence agencies on my ass it's gone from inconvenient to frankly a little ridiculous.  I mean...We've gotten some hints over the course of a few blogs that Uncle Sam knows about our pale friend and is trying to keep a tight lid on all knowledge pertaining to him, but...Well, I understood why Rhodes found this so funny now.  Fucking snake.

It turns out decoding a professional encryption is kind of fucking hard.  To cut a long story short, it took two weeks, a less than on the up meeting with a specialist in this field, and a LOT of swearing and soda.  Mostly soda.  And I swear a lot.  Eventually, I had it.  A lot of stuff might not be of use, seeing as the dudes at the listening post would've reported back to their bosses.  This was why I didn't let slip that I'd seen the name "Walker Alpha."  If they transferred her again, getting her back would be that much harder.  A long shot, but it ended up working out- more on that later.

A LOT of information about Slenderman and a few proxies of note was on that drive.  Mostly Slender, what little they could confirm about Slender's anatomy and powers, and a fair chunk of speculation with regards to what they couldn't.  They seem to subscribe to the theory that he gets stronger the more people know about him- Tulpa, right?  In addition, there was a list of known Stalked, a few familiar names among that...Elaine, I think you made whoever was in charge of keeping track of you pull his hair out.  And that's not even remotely close to the frustration contained in the file on Nick.  They have no clue what the hell you are, buddy.  Though I guess that goes for all of us.

No name for this organization, and precious little intel on what, exactly, they do.  From what I can conclude from the data, it's strictly observation and recording.  But there was a small paragraph on procedures with "live specimens" that made me a little uncomfortable- it was in the section on proxies. (they call them "converted")  But after hours of sifting through all the unbearably cryptic government-talk, I finally found details on Walker Alpha.  From there, it was time for preparations.

Planning to attack a mansion containing a team of psychotic killers is dangerous.  Planning to assault a US-sanctioned intelligence base, with likely military ties, full of trained agents?  Well...let's just say I've had smarter ideas.  I'm just throwing it out there, I KNOW how stupid this looks.  It is stupid.  I'm a kid.  A kid who's survived a lot more than anyone should have to, but this is a little beyond some idiots with masks and a penchant for sharpened kitchen utensils.

But they had Rae.  I owe her my life a few times over, and there was no way I was going to leave her to some faceless bureaucrats treating her like she's a friggin' diseased animal.  I wasn't leaving Walker Alpha without her.

Fast forward two days.  The building was a bit less hidden than the listening post- it was, in fact, a state building.  The local people said it was mostly for processing surveys taken about the town and organizing construction and demolition.  "Why the hell do they need five stories for that?" I asked.  A variety of shrugs followed.

The gate at the front was locked.  It was late afternoon, the building was closed down.  Right.  I set my plan into motion at promptly 6:13 PM.  A car tipped over the top of the hill, heading down the road, slowly at first, but picking up speed as it went.  Noticeably, it was driving direct down the center of the road- no cars were driving around here, so the only people to remark on this were the people on the sidewalk, stopping to stare.  It ended up smashing right through the gate, setting off a ringing alarm.  Someone burst out of the front door to stare at the empty vehicle.

That was when I made my move.  Grappling over the wall to the rear of the building, I made my way across the lot to the back door.  Locked, but it was keeping up the charade of being your typical office building, so that took about thirty seconds to pick.  I was in.  But not before making a brief phone call.

There were a few people milling about the front, looked like ordinary types.  Sticking to the wall, I made my way upstairs.  This was one thing I found out from the data- the first two floors were all most people ever saw.  The fun stuff was floor three up.  I padded my way up the stairs and was met with another door.  Unlocked.  Lucky- nobody on the second floor.  Guess they don't man it after hours.  I was able to sprint up the next flight of stairs.

This door was locked.  At first glance it was mechanical...But I had my cheatsheet.  Groping around at the paneling on the wall, I pulled the closest one to the door loose.  Underneath was a keypad.  Now, the code changes weekly, according to the data, but it contained the codes for the next two months.  And when I punched it in, the door unlocked, no sweat.  Guess they didn't expect to be compromised by a teenager.  Not that I can really blame them.

The third floor had a few rooms with glass windows.  There were people in them, seated at computers, looking over papers.  I closed the door as quietly as I could and started sneaking.  By ducking underneath the windows I managed to stay out of anyone within's sight range, and checked every room on the floor.  Mostly computers, one room had people seated at a table speaking.  Couldn't listen in, and information wasn't what I was here for, anyway.

Onto floor four...and suddenly an alarm was ringing inside, too.  Must've been spotted by a camera or something.  Let me tell you, stealth is kind of hard, especially when you can't just reload your last save whenever you get caught.  I started running.  In between me and the stairs was one of the rooms of analysts, this door flew open and one came out, looking at me, bewildered.

"Move it, move it, MOVE IT!" I yelled, as more people started to emerge.  Funnily enough, they obeyed- guess even a rag-covered teen like me is a bit threatening when he's heavily armed and barreling towards you.  Ran smack into a security guard on the stairs up- ducked under his rather large feet and kneed his crotch while I went.  He'd left the door open- I made it.  The fourth floor was one big room, no windows.  There were three security types headed for me, batons out.

I drew a couple of knives, ducked under the first swing, parried the second.  The third guy tackled me from the side.  I tried wriggling out, but he had me good and firm- my free arm got pinned by one of the others almost instantly.  I was cocky- I'd gotten lucky against these guys before, mostly thanks to getting the drop on them.  But make no mistake, they're trained to subdue people.

The guy free was pulling a taser from his belt.  It looked like my next conversation with them was gonna be from a cell- but then I saw something.  We'd slid forward as we struggled, enough so that I had vision around the corner.  And I saw her.  Rae was strapped to an operating table, from the looks of it.  A few men in white coats were staring at us, taking a few steps back.  She was slumped, her hair ragged, bruises on her face.  Like she was a fucking lab rat.

I lost it.  I bit the first part of the guy holding me I could find- his ear.  He yelled out and slackened, letting me slide out from under him and kick at the guy about to tase me.  Bad timing- he'd already activated it, and as he slipped it fell onto him.  Meanwhile I'd grabbed one of my knives and stabbed the last guy in the arm holding me, which got him to let go quick.  Stopping to scoop up the taser, I ran at the scientists and punched the closest one in the face, as hard I as could.  He stumbled backwards into some machinery and fell.

"What the hell do you sick fucks think you're doing?!  Get away from her or I'll...rgh."  I cut the straps holding her.

Removing my gun, I pointed it at the two security guards that were conscious, glaring.  "Drop everything."  They complied, hands up, silent.  One of the scientists apparently was more indignant than frightened, and he spoke up.  "What do you think you're doing?  You just freed a dangerously unstable-"

I took a step towards him and pointed my pistol right at his leg.  "Shut the fuck up!  Badmouth her one more time and you'll be limping for months, if you're lucky!"

...yeah.  I...more on how I feel about my behavior later.

Hoisting Rae up, I could hear pounding footsteps coming up the stairs.  Great.  There was only one thing left to do, so I ran up the last flight.  The door was unlocked, surprisingly, and I stepped through, into a scene from a spy movie.

There was a large monitor at the far end of the wide room, displaying a map of the United States.  The states were colored green, some brighter than others.  More computers and technicians...and a man in a suit, talking furiously into a cell phone.  They all turned at the sound of my footsteps, and we were left to regard each other.

He seemed bemused.  "So.  Millions of dollars go into this project, and we're compromised by someone who can't even purchase alcohol legally.  Drop the proxy, and put your hands on your head."

Maybe I just have an irrational hatred of suits these days, but I wasn't ready to give up just like that.  "Better idea, you let us out after I'm done rearranging your face."  I put Rae down gently and started for him.

That was when eight people in body armor burst into the room from behind, carrying rifles.  I hardly had time to turn around before they were pointed straight at me.  Slowly, I put my hands up.  The man in the suit stepped forward.

"You're pretty resourceful for someone on the run, but you could never hope to match us in a matter of sheer firepower.  What did you think coming here was going to accomplish?"

You know me.  Never quiet, even at the threat of instant death.  "I was under the impression I would breeze in here, rescue the femme fetale, while defeating your dastardly minions in hand to hand combat, before leaping out the window, barely outrunning a poor green-screen explosion."

Not a chuckle.  Goddammit.  "You don't look witty, you know.  Just kind of foolish.  I don't know what connection you have to that subject, but-"

"Rachel."

"What?"

"Her NAME is Rachel.  Say, or I'll-" One of the troops stepped forward.  I fell silent, glaring daggers at the agent.

"...You really aren't one of them, are you?  A friend of hers, then?  You do know she's lost her mind.  Anything we can learn from her would benefit us all." He adopted a calmer tone, probably trying to reason with me.  "You probably know that USP-01- your 'Slender Man'- hones in on those with knowledge of him.  This girl's existence is now a federal secret.  It would be foolish to waste time trying to rehabilitate her, when her body, which has been exposed to USP-01 for years, could potentially contain crucial data on it."

"Is that all she is?  Data?  She's a human being, you fuck."

He just narrowed his eyes.  "If you aren't going to cooperate, we will take you into custody.  You really have no choice but to do as we say, if you want to leave here alive.  There was never any chance of you breaking in and escaping all on your own."

I was quiet.  The guards started for me.  And five seconds later, my ace in the whole triggered.  Sirens.  Lots of them.  I grinned.  "Looks like I'm not on my own after all."

"...What did you do."

"Tip off to the police- I'm being held hostage in this very building.  They'll demand to search the entire place, Suit.  We'll be found.  You can't wipe the data clean that quick, either, so your little organization is gonna get dragged out into the light, too."

He scowled, pausing to think.  One of the soldiers headed over the window and pulled the curtains aside.  "He's right.  Police, at least three cars."  That moment of distraction was enough.  My gun was out and at the agent's head.  He froze, staring at me.

"Last chance.  Let us go."

There was a pause.  Two minutes, maybe three.  Then a ringing noise.  The agent's phone.  He whipped it out.  "Hello?  ...Yes, he's-..."  The expression on his face softened into something I couldn't really pick out.  He tossed the phone at me.  "It's for you."

I almost missed the catch, I was so surprised.  Holding it up, I spoke.  "Uh, hi."

"Mr. Reynolds?"  The voice was calm, direct.

"Speaking.  Who the hell are you?"

"You don't need to know who I am.  I apologize on behalf of my subordinates- there was no reason violence had to occur, and ideally this situation can be resolved without it."

"No REASON?  What the hell is your pro-"

"We have little time, thanks to you, Mr. Reynolds.  Rachel Ahlgren is a valuable test subject, but I am willing to allow you to remove her from our custody- in exchange for your assistance in keeping this facility a secret."

I frowned.  "That's a good deal.  Little too good, if you ask me."

"I have a vested interested in maintaining good relations with people in your position.  You have proven yourselves resourceful enough to be a severe hindrance to us if you want to be.  Now, do we have a deal?'

I wasn't done yet.  "Hey, bastard, you think I can just pretend you didn't strap her to a goddamn cutting board?  You hurt her, treated her like property, and-"

"You have a right to be angry.  But that anger is wasted at me.  I'm just damage control, Mr. Reynolds."

"...We're not done, but for now, yeah, I'll help keep your dumb secret."

"Thank you.  Please return the phone to my colleague."  I put my gun away, walked up to the suit, and handed it back, warily.  After a minute of talking in hushed tones, he hung up and signaled the soldiers to lower their weapons.

"You're off the hook, kid.  This time."

I glared.  "Don't think I'll forget this.  I'm still gonna beat your face in for what you did to her."

He looked at me, and...chuckled.  "You've definitely got guts.  Whether you're crazy or just plain stupid, at the very least, you're no coward."  He gestured at the doorway.  "Well, shall we?  We have some lying to law enforcement to do."

"One last question.  Who ARE you people?"

"Kid?  If you knew, specifically, the answer to that, the deal would have to be off.  Count your lucky stars."

I hoisted Rae up, and was escorted out.  That wasn't all to it...but that's for another post.  My encounter with the government ended there.