yes char i stole ur graymont government facility thing sorry

tw: cults, suicide, murder, arson

"Hello?" Samantha picked up her phone and walked out of the room where Aurora, Clover and Kate were watching some shitty romcom in. Somehow, Samantha's place had become the de facto spot for film night. They closed the door behind them, blocking out the sound of the movie.
"Is this Miss Samantha Anson?" The voice on the other end of the line was professional and civil. Samantha thought for a moment before answering. What the hell did they want? "Yes?" She answered, after an uncomfortable pause.
"Hello, Miss Anson. I'm Agent Smirnov with the FBI. We understand that you have a connection with the Children of the New Order, and we'd like to meet with you."
"Oh..." Of course. There were some things that Samantha would never be able to escape. "Okay."
"We'll meet sometime next week. There's a government building near Felicity Valley-"
"Graymont Government Facility?"
"Yes. We'll meet there. 3 pm on Wednesday suit you?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
"Just tell the receptionist that you're there to see Agent Smirnov. Thank you for your co-operation, Miss Anson."

-

"Just to be clear, everything you say from this point onward is on the record and may be used as evidence." Agent Smirnov said, placing a tape recorder on the table between them, breaking the silence.
"I understand." Samantha looked down at her hands, and then up at the recorder when they thought looking at their hands may be a bit suspicious.
"This is a voluntary interview, not an interrogation. You are free to have a lawyer present during this meeting."
"I don't need a lawyer." Samantha raised her head, making eye contact with the agent.
"Okay. Can you answer a few basic questions first?"
"Sure."

"Can you confirm your name for the record?"
"Samantha Maeve Anson."
"Miss Anson, for how long were you a member of the Children of the New Order?"
"My parents are still members. My brother and I were born into it. We left when he was eighteen and I was fifteen." The agent sitting opposite to them looked at her for a second, with some sort of pity or compassion in his eyes. Samantha hated the way he looked at her.

"So you never chose to be in the group?"
"No, not at all."
"Miss Anson, can you please confirm the identities of your parents and brother?"
"My mother's name is Violet Anson. My father is Sawyer Anson. My brother was..." They paused for a second. Was. God, why did that still feel so weird? "...Jason Lee Anson."
"We understand your brother died under suspicious circumstances. Would you be willing to elaborate on that a bit?"
"He was shot in the chest four years ago. We were living together at the time, I had just turned eighteen. I found him dead in our apartment. The police said it was a homicide, but it was never solved."
"Do you believe it is possible that a member of the Children of the New Order was responsible for his death?"
"Absolutely. The way he was shot - that's the way Lucian would've shot him. That's the way Lucian taught us to shoot." Agent Smirnov's pitiful look turned into one of realisation. The look of a man that realised he's just got what he needs to crack this case.

"Did Lucian Lyons ever have an illegal weapon in his possession during your time in the group?" Samantha resisted the urge to laugh. "Almost constantly. He started getting really paranoid and started stockpiling weapons. He thought me and my brother how to use a gun, and said if we saw any law enforcement nearby, to just shoot them. Shoot to kill."
"How old were you at this time?"
"I was seven. Jason was nine."

-

Samantha left Agent Smirnov's car and took a step onto the dirt road that they knew all too well. She looked up at the compound and suddenly felt like that seven-year-old girl crying in the back of Lucian's truck all over again.  "Anson, you alright?" Smirnov's voice took them out of the trance. "Yeah, I'm fine. You know, they got this place from some Christian charity? Weird, isn't it?" Smirnov smiled at her. "Yeah. You're about to be going into a charity building in a bulletproof vest." The agent said playfully, tossing a black vest in her direction. "I'm about to be going into my childhood home in a bulletproof vest." Samantha lightheartedly corrected him, catching it.

-

"Mimi! How nice of you to join us!" Lucian looked the younger girl up and down, taking in the fact that "FBI" was printed across her body. "And you brought friends!"

Samantha was not prepared for this. How were they not prepared for this? How was seven years away from him nowhere near long enough?

"It's Samantha."

"Come on, Mimi. I practically raised you! And Jason too!" Samantha's eyes darted between Lucian and her parents. Her parents didn't even look offended. They hadn't seen their daughter in seven years, their son was dead and they barely even made eye contact with her. God, she'd need some therapy when this was over.

"Jason's dead."

"I know." Lucian had the fucking audacity to smirk, and it took everything in Samantha to not slap him. Or shoot him. They just wanted him out of their face.

Lucian knew what she was thinking. Her parents knew what she was thinking. The FBI agents listening in on the wire like it was a fucking reality TV show knew what she was thinking.

The silence grew.

"I'm not the one that shot your brother, Mimi."

Samantha would've felt reassured by that, but Lucian Lyons was more than one person. Every single member of the Children of the New Order was a carbon copy of Lucian. They were taught to fight like him, to speak like him, to think like him. So, it didn't really matter if he was the one to pull the trigger, because Samantha knew that he was responsible. And looking into his eyes, he knew it too.

They looked over at their parents. They looked back with hatred in their eyes. "Do you not care who killed your son?" Samantha resisted the urge to break down and cry because they weren't Mimi anymore, they were Samantha and their vest said "negotiator" on it, so having a mental breakdown in front of their parents wouldn't get anyone out of there. "Jason is no longer our son. He betrayed us." Samantha took a sharp inhale, staring at them in disbelief. "No, you betrayed us. You're betraying us right now."

"Anson? Negotiations going well over there?"

Shit.

She forgot FBI agents were listening in. Which is creepy as fuck, to be honest.

And no, this wasn't emotionally charged. This was purely professional. Samantha was only seeing if they could get a confession, and they didn't. There's no harm in trying.

"What do you actually want?" Samantha hated everything about this. She hated talking to Lucian, she hated this room, she hated the memories inside it. Most of all, she hated that they were supposed to be catering to his needs and making him think they were on his side.

"I want them to stop taking things from me. They took you, now they're trying to take everything else." Samantha pressed her lips together, trying not to scream in frustration.
"You can't own people. There's twenty children in here. You know I won't hurt them."
"These children should be with their parents. Their parents are here, and they're not leaving. So, the kids aren't either."

"If the children don't leave, the FBI doesn't leave. It's your choice." Lucian smirked at the irony of her words. "They've brainwashed you. God, I messed up with you. These kids aren't as gullible." Samantha stayed silent for a second, before speaking in a terrifyingly calm tone. "Lucian, there is an FBI Hostage Rescue team outside with guns pointed at the building. If you want a chance at living, you should probably just let the kids go."
"There are no hostages here," Lucian spoke slowly, feigning innocence. "Everyone here is here because they want to be. Except you, apparently."
"They're children! They don't fucking know what they want! I didn't! Jason didn't!" Samantha argued a bit louder than necessary, her hands tightened into fists. Lucian lifted an eyebrow, smirking at them. His eyes looked over her body analytically, sizing her up. His eyes bored into them, as he scrutinised their appearance.

"You've changed, Mimi. You know what, I'll let a few go. If they want to, of course." Samantha didn't take her eyes off him for a second. Her gaze was unblinking and unrelenting. Lucian looked at a corner, filled with mothers and children. They didn't look scared. Lucian said something about it being "judgement day" and "the end is near" before taking another look and saying: "Clara, Casper. Get out of here, some people are waiting outside." The two children (who couldn't be much older than seven) firstly looked at Lucian for reassurance, and then at Samantha in fear.

"There's two coming out. One boy, one girl. Clara and Casper. I can see about twenty kids left. They're still unharmed, but I think a lot of them won't want to come out without their parents." She spoke into her earpiece.

"You should come out with them, Anson. You've been in there for a few hours now."

Samantha looked over at the children. They were so young. What would she have done at that age? "Hi, I'm Samantha. You're going to come outside with me, and there's going to be some people there. They'll ask you some questions, but they won't hurt you. They're good people." Those kids definitely didn't trust her, and she couldn't blame them.

-

Being trapped in a room with Lucian Lyons again was literally Samantha's worst nightmare. But somehow, she was doing it.

Every day.

For a fucking month.

There were still five kids inside. Lincoln Wilson, Penelope Davis, Mabel Andersen, Atlas Martin, and Quinn Hernandez. This was their last attempt. If it didn't work, they'd have to use force, which would never end well. Lucian never asked for a plea deal, or for charges to be dropped. He didn't care about any of that. He just wanted to see law enforcement fail.

Agent Smirnov walked in first, and Samantha followed closely behind. They could already see the kids, huddled together in a corner. "Mimi. Mimi's friend." Lucian greeted them with blank eyes and an exaggerated smile. "You know, I've been looking through this phone you gave me." Lucian waved the shitty phone that was given to him for "easier communication", so he could call law enforcement at any time with any new demands - which was never going to happen because he had no demands. "Yeah? What did you find?" Smirnov asked half-heartedly. "It's so boring. Maybe it's a good thing I banned these things here."
"Maybe. Now, what will it take for you to release these kids?" Samantha asked in a coldly professional tone.
"What will it take for you and your little buddies to fuck off?" Lucian took a step forward, placing his head dangerously close to hers so their eyes met. Samantha's gaze was disdainful and unmoving, but their heart was hammering in their chest.

Don't let them see any emotion.

"Would you mind taking a step back?" Agent Smirnov cautioned. His voice was friendly, but there were clear undertones of anxiety at the building tensions in the room. But when has a hostage situation ever been relaxed? "It's okay, Agent." Lucian maintained his composure. "I won't hurt her. I know her too well." Samantha's eyes were still fixed on him. He had a unique way of making them feel like nothing. "There are five children in here, Lucian. You are a host to a hostage situation. If your next word isn't about the terms of their release, I don't want to hear it." Samantha's eyes were unmoving. "I was hoping for a more pleasant reunion, but if you want to use me, fine! There's five kids in this room. I give you five, you take five of your officers away." Samantha looked at Agent Smirnov, who nodded back to her. "Sure," Samantha said hesitantly. "Sure. Let's do it." Smirnov had already walked over to the children.

-

"We're not actually taking anyone away, are we?" The agent asked as the pair left. "Fuck no. Just move some officers around. He'll not know the difference."

It seemed like this nightmare was finally coming to an end.

-

That night, Lucian Lyons set the compound of the Children of the New Order on fire. Everyone inside was killed, either by the fire or by a 'mercy shot' in the head. This included Lucian Lyons, who shot himself in the head, Violet and Sawyer Anson, who died from smoke inhalation and the parents of all of the children evacuated.

A memorial of this day stands on the scorched grounds of the former compound. It is maintained by the 'See the Light' charity fund, which was set up by Samantha Anson, the only survivor that was old enough to remember the story.