[Location: Speares; Westen House] (locked to Michael)

[just_axe_me]

To tell the truth, it was him who started doing all of the preparations for walking into a trap. Not going into this unarmed, Mike, he'd said, and Michael had agreed: they'd passed a petrol station two blocks down that had an open shed. If both of them were right they could've just ambled in and nobody would've cared what they'd taken out, but they

Comments

[Location: Westen House]

[midwesten]

As for Michael, he was off like a rocket. Always was faster than Sam, even at nineteen. Lighter. "Mom?" he hollered, panic rising in his voice like what he was expecting to find was the aftermath of a mistake made in Miami gangland, painted all over the walls. "MomThe front door was unlocked. He skidded to a halt in the living room, now just calling, "Mom? Fi?" The living room was empty. He wheeled on the dining table and the kitchen -- "Jesse?" he tried, even, and "Nate?" Everything was empty. Michael only took a moment to look out the back windows before he was pounding up the stairs faster than Sam could follow him

[Location: Westen House]

[just_axe_me]

Sam didn't say a word. He took the door instead through to the garage they'd linoleum-tiled and wood-panelled in for Maddie's rental idea, Jesse's room -- nothing. The side door was open fractically, and he went at it like a guided missile

[Location: Westen House]

[midwesten]

Michael blinked at the jingling keys. He wasn't actually doing a lot of staring at the moment, mostly looking around. He had on that scan-for-anything-important look he got when he was on his guard in a new place, like it might make sense of his mom's empty house in the middle of the Taxon prison city. It didn't seem to be working.

"Yeah. Yeah, the Caddy." He made his way down the stairs, still looking around, and brushed past Sam's sleeve on his way; as he walked he touched the kitchen table with the tips of his fingers. Like he was confirming that it was real. His hand didn't pass through it, that was for sure: he glanced at it and halted a moment there, just with his fingers curled around the edge of the table. "I remember."

He was still distracted, though, looking around in the way he might systematically look for bugs or planted bombs or stuff hidden in a room. That went beyond the bounds of disbelieving shock, really; usually Mike would be doing something by now. But of course, Michael was doing something. That was

[Location: Westen House]

[just_axe_me]

"Mikey, look at me." He wouldn't. Michael Westen was staring off across the living room like he could see things nobody else could see, shadows beneath the couches and the television set. "Mike. Listen