Penny Barnes looked at her captor with cool regard. 2 Months. She thought bitterly. Two months she'd been his prisoner. For two months she had missed school. She wondered what excuses her father had given the school board. Now it was late December. Only days away from Christmas. Which should have been a happy and wonderful time.
But Penny was in no mood to sing carols or think about receiving gifts.
"What do you want?" She asked evenly. Her green eyes were like daggers. They blamed him for the past two months of torture she'd spent in his mansion.
Abernathy's smile was like a shark's maw opening before ripping into it's hopeless prey. "Merely to let you know that you'll be seeing Gadget this afternoon." The anger in Penny's eyes fizzled out somewhat.
"His name is Rick." She corrected.
"A nuance."
Penny rolled her eyes. Her blond hair was braided back the way the woman who took care of her liked it. The poor woman. Penny had seen the NOD in her neck and felt such pity. But the woman wasn't a blank slate. She talked to Penny, did her hair, kept her 'room' clean, and made sure the girl was comfortable. The woman just couldn't remember where she came from or what she had been before meeting the girl.
"When?" Penny asked sharply. She stepped further into the office and looked at him intently. Every chance to see Rick was a chance to tell him the secrets she stole. Though many were not a big help yet she'd told him all she could about the security systems, the number of innocent civilians trapped, and the plans Abernathy was making. He did everything possible to hide his motives from her. And while many were a mystery to her she knew a lot about his mansion itself. Had learned the layout and the number of windows, doors, rooms, etc. Penny was also very keen, her natural curiosity and hyper-sensitive mind made it easy to fill in gaps. She knew he had someone reworking Alex's design. Making the cybernetic hand something frightening and deadly. She'd caught a glimpse just once and it was a frightening use of Alex's designs.
Designs that were meant to help people. Like Rick or Walter.
"Whenever my men pick him up." Abernathy replied with a shrug. "That's all you need to know."
It had been three days since she'd seen him last. And though each visit was brief she got to hug him. That was all that mattered to her. To feel his arms around her in a protective embrace. It was like a shield of invincibility that shut out the entire world. It was so comforting to be in familiar arms that she almost forgot about where she was. And as expected it was always too short. Someone was grabbing Rick's shoulder roughly and tugging him away from her almost as soon as she'd wrapped her arms around him.
"How much more does he have to get for you?" Penny asked suspiciously. Abernathy looked up at her bold question.
His eyes warned her she was going to get herself into trouble. "He's almost finished." He said.
Penny continued bravely forward. She had no fear of him. He had promised not to lay a finger on her and he had not. None of the men did. Only the woman he'd assigned to her. Penny got the feeling that she was a mother, all of the signs were there in how she treated the girl she didn't even know. The woman was a comfort though. Penny was grateful for someone she could at least spend time with and not fear. Amanda just took care of the girl. If Penny needed anything she told Amanda who would take care of it. Penny never dared say anything to the woman that Abernathy could use. Instead Penny used her to forget everything around her. They talked about clothes, weather, food, anything that had no connection to her imprisonment. She didn't talk about her father with her either. She wanted to tell the woman how amazing he was, but Penny thought it best not to. If she wasn't careful she could let something slip.
And then her father would be in more danger.
"What are you going to do to my father when that time comes?" She asked resting an arm on the top of his desk. She leaned towards him. Her ability to annoy him was ever unfailing and her greatest solace.
She enjoyed watching his eyes darken when she did something he didn't like. Like chewing bubble gum during conversations with him. She'd been caught running around the mansion watching everyone work. And still her punishment had been confinement to her room for the night.
Abernathy looked at her darkly but answered her question. "I'm going to make sure he can't stop me."
"You plan on killing him?" Penny asked not surprised.
"I don't think so. That would be the opposite of what I want to do with him."
"You mean torture." Penny observed.
"Yes." Abernathy growled. "His misplaced devotion to you and the woman he loves is his greatest weakness."
"It's not weakness." Penny said looking at him severely.
"It is if he hasn't the good sense to give up on it when it could destroy him."
"It is braver to remain steadfast in your devotion than to abandon it like a sinking ship." Penny observed. Love was the opposite of weakness. Rick had told her that.
She missed him so much and hated Abernathy's digs at him.
"Bravery is an outdated ideal. Nobody's brave anymore Penny."
She gave him a sober look. "My father is brave. He's brave every time he doesn't start a fight with you. Because I can see it in his eyes. The temptation to recklessly take all his anger out on you." She said. "But he doesn't. He knows he will get you soon. When you aren't hiding behind a little girl like a coward."
"That's enough!" Abernathy growled. "Go back to your room." The office doors opened and Penny waltzed out turning her back on her captor and marching with confidence out of the room.
When the doors shut behind her and Amanda took up walking behind her she sighed. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest. But that wasn't all. There was anger. Genuine anger towards that man.
He knew nothing.
Penny remembered their first conversation. He'd asked her so many questions as if he were trying to understand something inexplicable. Perhaps that was how he viewed the emotion of love.
The words were hard to forget.
'What makes you think he's your father?'
'It's just the way we are. We have a bond that goes beyond blood. He and I are different and that's what makes us so close.'
'The only thing you two have in common is that you were both created in a laboratory in Chicago.'
'No.' She had almost yelled at him. 'That's not true and that's not why. He used to be normal, but he injured himself in the line of duty. I was born there, but my creation was destined already. Do you believe in destiny?'
'No.' Abernathy had replied coldly.
'You see. It is the fact that we both came out of that lab alive. Without me he wouldn't have been given a second chance to live. And if he hadn't been there the day I came out into the world I would have died. You see, we saved each other's lives. That's why we're so close. We saved each other.'
Abernathy had dismissed the entire conversation as foolish nonsense. Penny knew he was wrong, and he would learn it soon. She doubted her father would just leave things be. No. Rick was going to kick Abernathy's ass. And she couldn't say she'd blame him. The man deserved it.
Penny hurried to the room she slept in and Amanda shut the door locking it and pocketing the key.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Though most of her observation was suppressed so that she didn't realize where she was and what was happening she could tell Penny was upset.
"Nothing." Penny replied. "It's nothing you need to know." She sat down on the big wooden bed with the grey comforter and sighed. She had to act quickly. Had to figure something out. She looked at her guardian and then at her pillow. "I want to rest." She said suddenly. "I have to see a guest later."
Amanda had no clue who that guest was.
The woman nodded and unlocked the door. She stepped outside without so much as a glance back at the girl and shut the door tightly. Penny heard the lock click in place and smiled. Her entire demeanor changed and she was suddenly excited.
She flopped onto her stomach and reached under her pillow. There underneath it was the NOR her father had used when Abernathy had taken her prisoner.
She'd managed to sneak it out of his pocket at some point during their tear-filled goodbye.
Her fingers slid around the cold metal frame and she took a deep breath. It would only stop those who came close enough. If they were far enough away they could stop her easily. And Abernathy could always come and make her hand it over. She had no protection from him. And as soon as his deal with Rick was over there was no telling what the villain would do next.
Penny just knew that she had few weapons in her arsenal at the moment and a long time to gain whatever else she could. She wished she had the link pad or her laptop. Either one would give her a private connection to Rick.
But wishes were like stars. Enough to fill a jar and too far to reach. Her fingers released the NOR and she sat up. She began to take out her hair.
The braids were Amanda's doing. And while Penny liked to have someone do her hair she didn't ever let Rick see her with braids in her hair. Jessica had taught him how to do pigtails when her hair was too short for anything else.
He'd done her hair so many times. As her fingers tore through the weaves quickly and her hair fell around her shoulders she let a little bit of anger into her soul.
If there was one thing she would never do again, it was cry in front of Charles Abernathy. That monster would never have the satisfaction of seeing another tear fall from her eyes.
Penny grabbed her brush and started running it through her blond hair. She redid her hair into her traditional ponytails. She checked her appearance in the mirror and noticed a hardness in her eyes. They shone with a gleam of strong determination. She would get through this no matter what.
She looked at the plain blue long sleeved shirt she was wearing and opened up a drawer. Only a few clothes had been provided, but she had something better. There was a dressier shirt in there somewhere.
She pulled out a pink polo shirt with a white embroidered flower over the heart. She changed shirts quickly making sure her back was turned to the camera.
With that she was ready to face the rest of the day. She would get through this. She knew she could.
