Thirty-Nine

"PLEASE EMPTY YOUR POCKETS INTO THE CONTAINER."

Scott spoke first, "We're here to see--"

Yet, the skinny yet creepy orderly behind the front desk of Eichen House didn't let him finish. "Please empty your pockets into the container," he instructed firmly.

The teenagers exchanged glances and unconsciously agreed to listen. Lydia set her purse in the clear tub, Kira and Sierra giving up their phones while Stiles and Scott added their keys to the mix. The orderly looked satisfied, until his eyes landed on Kira.

He frowned. "Please remove your belt," he added, "and place it in the container."

"I, uh, kind of need the belt," Kira disagreed respectfully, knowing she needed her katana with her in case something went wrong. "I mean, it's crucial to the outfit."

The orderly glared at her. "Please remove your belt," he repeated gruffly, "which patients may try to take from you and use to strangle either themselves or others."

Kira's eyes widened. "Right," she squeaked, quickly unclasping her belt from her waist. "I got it." She set it in the tub next to her phone as the orderly's crazed eyes drifted to Lydia.

The banshee shifted from his intense gaze, leading Sierra to step in front of her to block the orderly's view.

She narrowed her eyes at the man in warning, "Don't you have a job to get back to?"

He scowled, about to reply until another unfamiliar man opened the door to their right. Everyone turned their heads as he stepped forward, dressed in a button-down grey shirt and slacks. "Scott McCall and Sierra Page?" he called out expectantly.

The pair exchanged concerned glances, but nodded their heads to confirm their identities.

"This way."

The man, telling them his name was Dr. Fenris, led them through the door  that would lead to the closed unit. They all followed him down the stairs, Stiles attempting to forget what happened the last time he was on these steps.

"I'll remind you, I'm only doing this as a favor to Deaton," Dr. Fenris stated, "And I'm doing it against my better judgment."

"So exactly what's the etiquette for talking with this guy?" Stiles questioned to get his mind off the past. "I mean, do you ever, um, look at the third eye?"

"I wouldn't," Dr. Fenris advised, glancing at the teenagers over his shoulder. "In fact, while you're down here, try to not make eye contact with anyone or anything."

"Is it too late to come up with another plan?" Sierra grumbled, annoyed at the circumstances. Scott looked at her in warning, but she just shrugged. It wasn't any secret that none of them felt comfortable being inside Eichen House. The institution only carried negative energy and terrible memories.

They finally reached the basement, Dr. Fenris stating the closed unit was at the end of the hall. Sierra nodded, continuing to walk right beside Stiles while Lydia followed. Except when Lydia turned around, Kira and Scott weren't there.

The two were stuck in the middle of the hallway, unable to take another step.

"Sierra," she worriedly called out, and the true empath followed her gaze.

"You didn't think you were all going, did you?" Dr. Fenris inquired.

Scott realized, "It's mountain ash, isn't it?"

"Everywhere," Dr. Fenris confirmed with a nod, "but heavily concentrated down here." He swiped a key card, unlocking a gate before looking at Sierra. "Vallack's cell is the last one at the end of the hall."

Scott focused on his best friend, who seemed hesitant to go on without him. "We'll be right here," he promised, Kira agreeing.

"Okay," Sierra let out a heavy sigh, glancing at Lydia and Stiles with determination in her eyes. "Let's go then."

She walked through the gate Dr. Fenris held open, Stiles and Lydia sticking behind her. The dim lights provided eerie sight and the chipping paint would not be displayed in an interior design magazine. A foul odor stuck in the musty air and Sierra scrunched her nose.

"This place is disgusting," she whispered once Dr. Fenris was out of earshot. "There's no way it's up to code."

"It probably would be if people knew it existed," Lydia replied quietly, moving closer to the couple out of fear.

"She has a point, string bean," Stiles agreed, slipping his hand into Sierra's. "Who knows what maniacs would be on the streets if Eichen didn't house them."

She squeezed his hand for reassurance as they turned a corner, revealing rows of cells mixed of mountain ash and bullet proof glass. The trio fell silent, too scared to let their eyes wander too long on any of the creatures held inside. Sierra noted a female version of the Mute in a straight jacket and a beast with pointed ears, deformed skin and red eyes. And those were the only two she could bare herself to glance at.

Stiles found himself distracted as he glanced at a cell near the end, his heart rate picking up. Donovan sat perfectly still, his cold expression glaring forward.

Bewildered, Stiles moved to the next window to see if Donovan was truly there, but only another inmate growled back at him.

"Stiles?"

Sierra's concerned voice flitting through his ears made Stiles snap his gaze away. She briefly rested her hand on his arm. "Are you alright?"

Stiles nodded, unable to speak. Sierra and Lydia looked at each other worriedly, but didn't say anything.

When they reached the end of the hall, they arrived at a cell that mimicked the others.

Tile floors, an empty cot in one corner and a basic toilet in the other. In the middle sat a man, criss-crossed with a bandage wrapped around his head. He lifted his eyes before any of them said a word. "Tell me what you just saw."

"Who, me?" Stiles fidgeted as Vallack stared at him.

"The creature in the previous cell," Vallack explained his question. "The Sluagh. The myth is that they can take on the appearance of lost souls that have become inextricably bound to it." One of his eyebrows raised and he smirked. "Happen to see any lost souls, Mr. Stilinski?"

"Yeah, everyone down here," Stiles replied sharply, his grip tightening on Sierra's hand.

"Oh, don't give up on us yet," Vallack clicked his tongue in disapproval. "We're all works in progress."

We're all works in progress.

The words bounced in Sierra's head for a moment, Sierra trying to figure out why they seemed so familiar. The last time she heard anything of the sort was from--her eyes widened.

"Where did you hear that from?" she demanded, curling her free hand into a fist.

"Wise words from a former cell mate," Vallack replied vaguely.

Sierra scowled at home.

"Peter," she grumbled under her breath, making Lydia look at Vallack uneasily. They knew Peter was crazy after his stunt in Mexico, but now they find out the only man who knows anything about the Dread Doctors was in the same cell.

The thought alone of the two men together made Sierra's skin crawl.

Vallack finally raised from the floor, moving to stand in front of the teenagers. "Did you bring the book?"

Stiles dug the novel out from where he had hidden it against his back and held it up so Vallack could see it.

Vallack grinned at the sight. "Very nice," he observed. "First edition. Of course, there only was one printing."

Lydia understood the meaning behind his words. "There's no T.R. McCannon, is there? You wrote the book."

"That's right, Lydia," Vallack confirmed, his grin widening. "Maybe you've guessed that it's not just a book."

"Then what is it?" Sierra asked him.

"A tool," he answered, shifting his gaze to her. "Designed to open your eyes."

"To what?"

"The Dread Doctors."

*^*^*^*^*

"Page turner?"

Malia raised her head from the Dread Doctors, a yellow highlighter in hand. The library provided a perfect quiet atmosphere to finish reading it while the others were at Eichen. She had attempted to read it at home the night before after she found it, but the words jumbled together in her head. None of it make sense. She was still going through chapter one when a familiar voice interrupted her.

Theo stood in front of the small table, one hand holding his backpack on his shoulder. He smiled charmingly and took a seat across from her.

Malia quirked up an eyebrow. "Not exactly," she answered his question.

"Neither is this," Theo agreed, holding up his pre-calculus textbook. He flipped it open, taking out a notebook as well to get his homework done.

Malia eyed him, unsure how she felt about the boy. She hadn't had her own interaction with Theo; all she knew came straight from Stiles.

He never revealed why he didn't trust with Theo, but knew it had something to with Sierra. Every time Malia brought it up to him, Stiles's face softened—a look specifically reserved for his girlfriend.

That alone made Malia hesitant to let Theo in, even slightly. But right now, as he sat quietly and scribbled down equations, he didn't look very threatening.

So, Malia simply went back to reading and let him stay.

A few hours later, Malia thought her head wouldn't stop spinning. She had managed to re-read through chapter three, but couldn't take the strange language anymore. Malia raised to her feet, closing her copy of the book and grasping all of her stuff together.

Theo looked up at the sudden movement. "You need a ride?" he asked, clicking his pen.

"I can take the bus," Malia made up an excuse.

A small smile grew from the corner of Theo's mouth as he pointed out, "The last one left an hour ago."

Malia paused, and then shrugged her shoulders. "I'll walk."

Not wanting the conversation to be over, Theo continued with a smirk. "Haven't I seen you coming out of driver's ed?"

"I hope not," Malia mumbled, remembering the many orange cones she ran over when she drove with Mr. Yukimura.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I saw you destroy a few traffic cones the other day," Theo teased, bringing up the memory she wanted to forget. Malia rolled her eyes as he added, "And nearly take out a sophomore."

"The sophomore shouldn't have been standing there," Malia sassed.

Theo chuckled, and looked at her with a glint in his eye as he held up the keys to his truck. "Sounds like you could, uh, still use some practice?"

He tossed them over, Malia snatching them out of midair.

And then she smiled.

*^*^*^*^*

"Why did you use a pseudonym?" Lydia asked Vallack, moving closer to the glass that kept them apart.

She remained on the left side of Sierra, who focused on the man with pursed lips and a concentrated glare. Stiles stood on her right, tilting his head in curiosity as well.

Vallack explained, standing with his arms at his side and glancing between the teenagers from inside his cell. "I had a professional reputation once. I wasn't interested in ruining it by putting my name on a second-rate piece of trash."

Stiles quirked up an eyebrow. "Then why write the book in the first place?"

"You haven't even read it yet, have you?" Vallack questioned. The hesitation of their answers made him release a small sigh and continue. "I wrote it because no one believed me. Because no one listened."

"You have to admit the whole idea of the Dread Doctors is kind of insane," Sierra spoke up, folding her arms. "They only become visible when they want you to see them and make people act crazy--they're basically the Wild Hunt with World War one gas masks."

Vallack dodged her statement and asked, "They're here...aren't they? In Beacon Hills."

Neither of the three confirmed his question. Instead Lydia wanted to know something else. "What are they?"

"Not entirely human," Vallack replied. "At least not anymore. They were scientists once --scientists who worshiped the supernatural. Tesla said, 'If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.' They found their secrets in electromagnetic forces."

His eyes drifted to Sierra. "Much like your powers in some way, Ms. Page. They found ways to prolong their lives, give themselves power, and most importantly, make you forget you ever saw them."

"So what do they want?" Sierra asked. That was the question flitting through Stiles and Lydia's minds as well.

"What a great question," Vallack smiled. "Everyone wants something."

Stiles read between the lines of the crazed man's words and tried to not roll his eyes. "Okay, so what do you want?"

Staying silent for a moment, Vallack simply held up a small device. Recognizing it as a tape recorder, Sierra furrowed her eyebrows as he then placed it in the little door that could be accessed from their side. He faced them again and instructed, "Hit record."

Lydia, her body stiff, dared to question his motives. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't want you to say anything," Vallack stated, confusing the teenagers further.

"Then why give us a recorder?" Sierra pushed him.

Vallack's eyes shifted to Lydia, who fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I want her to scream."

*^*^*^*^*

Scott felt useless.

Standing in the basement of Eichen House, trapped in a hallway lined with mountain ash, Scott couldn't do anything.

He strained his ears to try and hear his friends, who had been gone with Vallack for at least ten minutes. A small, annoyed sigh escaped his mouth when silence greeted him.

"I can't hear anything," he confessed to Kira, who was supporting herself against the wall. "Must be the mountain ash."

He went to stand beside her as she tiredly replied, "I feel it too. To be honest, I feel a little weak."

"Yeah," Scott agreed, squeezing his fingers into a fist. It was as if he was in a daze; his hands were numb and every shift of his body felt like he was one step from falling asleep. "It's like being sedated."

"This was a bad idea, wasn't it?" Kira asked him, leaning her head back on the cement.

Scott pursed his lips, his eyes wandering over where Stiles and Sierra had disappeared with Lydia. "Nah," he finally disagreed quietly. "They'll be okay without us." He thought about his best friends, and added, "And those two...they're pretty good together."

Kira nodded her head. "Yeah, they are."

"I feel like Sierra and Stiles have been through every rough patch in the book," Scott expressed, resting his hands in his jean pockets. "Hunters, crazed alphas, nogitsunes....being torn apart again and again. But they stay alive."

"He likes her a lot, doesn't he?"

Scott smiled softly. "Yeah...but it's different now. You should've seen the way he used to be around her."

"Was it bad?" Kira asked.

Scott hesitated, but let out a chuckle before replying honestly. "He was kind of obsessive, but not all bad. Back then, he always use to tell me he only liked her as a friend...but I knew. He'd leave happy notes in her locker or surprise her with candy. Always made sure she had a smile on her face. He paid attention...he listened to her."

"Seems like nothing's changed," Kira commented with a grin and Scott stifled a laugh to agree.

"I asked him about it once, after he ditched class to visit her while she was sick with the flu," Scott reminisced. "He told me that Sierra deserved the entire world, but since he couldn't get it for her, he would do anything to work and make up the difference. He said, "If she's not smiling, then I'm not working hard enough.""

Kira's lips parted in awe as Scott continued, "I have never seen two people more in love than they are. Like, they're always on the same wavelength and know the best decision comes from trusting one another. If they weren't there when I was first bitten...there's no way I'd be standing here right now."

Before Kira could respond, the dim lights hanging from the ceiling suddenly flickered.

Scott straightened his back in alarm and glanced up, wondering what could've caused such a small, electric glitch. "Did you see that?"

"No," Kira's small, scared voice answered, "but I am seeing this."

Scott quickly turned around to see blue and white energy sparking along her fingers. She looked terrified as Scott widened his eyes. The shocks grew, spreading through her arms and down the rest of her body.

"Kira," Scott warned, taking a step back to avoid getting electrocuted. "Whatever you're doing, please stop. "

Her bottom lip quivered, "I'm, I'm not doing anything." Scott heard her heart beat escalate from the fear starting to surface. "It's just happening."

The electricity surged from within her, short circuiting the lights. Scott covered his eyes from the brightness, only raising his head as everything went dark.

Kira no longer stood in front of him. Her body had collapsed from the power, her brown eyes snapped shut--leading Scott to fear the worst.

"Kira?"

*^*^*^*^*

Sierra snatched the recorder away from Lydia before the girl could open her mouth.

"No way," she snapped at Vallack. "Not happening. Sorry."

Sierra turned her back to the crazed man with a huff, as Lydia and Stiles stood on either side of her. They knew their time with him was limited, but Sierra was not about to gift him anything, especially not her friend's abilities.

"He's the only one who knows anything," Lydia reasoned quietly to her friends.

"Lydia, the guy is a total nut job who drilled a hole into his head," Stiles whispered back, placing his hands on his hips. "He's probably lying his ass off."

Lydia argued, "But what if he's not?"

"Lyd, we can't trust him," Sierra agreed with Stiles, keeping her voice low. "He's in this place for a reason."

"How many have died so far?" Vallack interrupted their hush conversation, capturing their attention once more. "All of them teenagers, am I right?"

The three slowly faced him, alarmed at the correct information. Vallack, seeing their stunned expressions, continued, "What to know how many died the first time they came here? I wonder how many will die if they succeed."

The lights flickered, causing Sierra to glance up in concern. Stiles caught her gaze with raised eyebrows, wondering if she was using her powers to freak Vallack out. But Sierra shook her head--she didn't do anything.

Lydia's eyes widened fat Vallack and she stepped closer to the glass. "This did happen before," she realized in horror.

Vallack confirmed, "And now they're back." As he went on, his words slurred from the frustration in his soul, leading him to bellow, "All because a few teenagers, who never even considered the consequences, decided to reignite a supernatural force they barely understand."

"The Nemeton," Lydia put the pieces together.

Sierra narrowed her eyes. How was it possible Vallack knew what they did last winter, when Scott, Stiles, and Allison sacrificed themselves to save their parents and Jemma?

Stiles, thinking the same thing, demanded, "How do you even know about that?"

"I know because I saw it," Vallack gruffly replied.

Then, without warning, he ripped off the gauze surrounding his head. Perfectly center, right above his eyebrows, was a blood hole--the skull cracked and brain matter visible. But when Lydia looked closer, a third eye snapped open.

She stumbled back, Sierra catching her as the lights started to flash on and off. Vallack looked around wearily and rushed out, "Who did you come with?"

"Our friends," Lydia answered, but it didn't suffice.

"What are they?" Vallack pressed urgently. "It's obvious Sierra isn't doing this, so someone else is."

Stiles interceded before Sierra could reply, "Don't answer."

A thought dawned on Vallack. "You brought a kitsune."

The lights sparked, the sudden darkness making Lydia shriek and Stiles grab onto Sierra's hand.

"What's happening?" Sierra called out, tightening her grip on Stiles.

"She's disrupting the building's defenses," Vallack recognized the signs.

Lydia asked, moving closer to her friends, "What does that mean? How?"

"It's not the mountain ash that keeps this building secure," Vallack explained, turning his head to Sierra. "It's the electromagnetic energy. That's why you feel a little stronger down here--it's the energy syncing with you. Eichen is built on the convergence of telluric currents. Ley lines. It's what allows it to keep certain supernatural creatures in, and certain others out."

A familiar electric clicking entered Sierra's ears, her body falling rigid.

Vallack heard the sound as well. "They knew you were coming," he informed angrily, glaring at the teenagers. "They're here. And you unlocked the door for them."

Vallack hit his palms against the glass, Sierra pulling Lydia away from him and towards Stiles. "Hit record," he demanded his request from earlier. "Do it now! It costs you nothing."

"But it's worth something to you," Stiles retorted, "so you're not getting it for free."

"What does the book do?" Sierra asked, keeping Lydia behind her. Vallack hesitated to answer, and she shouted in aggravation. "Tell us! Or we leave and you get nothing."

Vallack inhaled sharply and responded, "I already told you: it opens your eyes."

"How?"

Sierra could feel the terror coursing through Vallack's veins as he explained reading the book triggered the memory centers of the brain. He was just as scared as they were.

"It clears the fog and brings the images of the Dread Doctors into focus," he rushed out desperately. "I wrote the book in an effort to find out if anyone else like me had ever seen them before."

The look on Sierra's face wasn't one of satisfaction. She knew he needed Lydia's scream, but he wouldn't get it till he revealed everything.

"I thought I could circulate it, an effort to trigger someone--anyone else's memory," Vallack went on. "They'd see the cover, a hint of memory. They pick up the book, read it...the suppressed memories surface, and they'd find their way to me to discover more."

He looked between the three teenagers. "Just like you did."

Lydia looked completely stunned, frozen in place.

Stiles questioned, "Did it work with anyone else?"

"You don't see it on the New York Times best seller list, do you?" Vallack snapped.

"So all we have to do is read the book," Sierra clarified and he nodded.

"If you've seen them, if they've done something to you, then the book will help you remember," Vallack said and then yelled. "Now give me what I want!"

Stiles looked at Sierra, unsure, but Lydia held out her hand, leaving Sierra no choice but to place the recorder in her palm.

"Cover your ears," the banshee warned her friends.

"Stiles, get behind me," Sierra ordered, red tendrils dancing along her fingers. He obeyed without a word and right as Lydia hit record, Sierra threw her hands up.

Stiles covered his head as the energy completely surrounded himself and Sierra, whose teeth were grinding together in concentration. Lydia's scream rang out, echoing off the shield Sierra created and shaking the walls.

She held it with trembling hands until Lydia fell silent, and then let it quickly disperse. As soon as Lydia put the recorder in the door so Vallack could get it, Sierra grabbed her hand and pulled her away. "Come on, we gotta go--now!"

"No, he needs to tell us what they want," Lydia stayed put as an siren went off, blaring through the speakers. "What are they trying to do?"

"Read the book," Vallack instructed, raising his voice to be heard over the alarm. "Anyone who has come into contact with them."

"Lydia," Stiles called in concern, grasping her wrist to push her in front of him. "We're leaving."

Sierra led the way to get out, Vallack's voice bouncing off the walls.

"READ THE BOOK!"

Stiles followed his girlfriend closely, knowing the Dread Doctors were going to appear at any moment. They ducked into an empty cell, bracing their backs against the wall.

And then they waited.

Stiles kept his arm around Sierra, who held onto Lydia tightly with her free hand. All of them held their breaths at the electricity crackling and the sound of heavy boots dragging down the hallway.

Sierra felt a sharp pain in her chest and a whimper escaped her, causing Stiles to immediately place his hand over her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing in her heart something was wrong with Scott. Her skin felt like it was on fire, as if she had shoved a fork in a socket.

Lydia bit down on her lip to stop herself from making a sound, the Dread Doctors marching slowly by their hiding place.

Straining her ears, Sierra couldn't hear much after they passed--until Vallack screamed.

A tear slipped from her eye from feeling whatever pain Scott was in, as well as Vallack's misery from the Dread Doctors.

None of them dared to move, even as the power to Eichen House returned and the generator flickered the lights back on. Stiles lowered his hand from Sierra's mouth but didn't release the tight hold on her, his ears perked in alarm.

"I think we're okay," Lydia whispered, her heart pounding against her ribcage from the scare. Neither Sierra nor Stiles answered her. "Guys?"

"No, it's not okay," Stiles rushed out in uneven breaths. "All this? It's on us. Everything that's happened, everything that's going to happen...it's our fault."

"It's our responsibility," Lydia agreed quietly, and turned her head to check on Sierra, who hadn't said a word.

The girl had scorns down the side of her face and when Stiles released her, she crumpled to her knees. Her fingers sparked with red electricity as she coughed heavily, her lungs twisting in her chest.

"Sierra?" Stiles worriedly knelt down, placing a hand on her back until a quick shock had him jump back. "What's wrong?"

"Kira," she gasped,  "S-Scott...we have to, we have to find them."

"Okay, okay, let's go find them," Lydia nodded her head rapidly. "Can you, can you stand?"

"Think of anything else," Stiles advised. "I know it's hard but think of pleasant memories, Sierra. Think of the preserve, when we go for a drive. The sun setting over the hills, the air filling your lungs. Just breathe."

Sierra did as she was told, closing her eyes that were starting to swirl silver. She inhaled deeply, curling her fingers into her palms as they pressed against the ground.

From Kira's blackout, Sierra felt overwhelmed yet exhausted. She wanted to make sure Scott was alright, but her body was begging for her to rest.

Stiles watched wearily as the red orbs slowly dissipated into thin air before he reached for her hand. "Come on, string bean," he encouraged once he  wasn't shocked and could help her up. "Let's get the others and go home."

Sierra tiredly nodded, and both Stiles and Lydia assisted in raising her to her feet. Stiles didn't say anything more, but was beyond concerned at how she became drained within seconds.

The war with the Dread Doctors was barely beginning, and if the pack had any chance at beating them, they needed Sierra to be at full strength.

They didn't stand a chance without her.