So here's the next chapter! Not much action in this one, sorry, but lots in the next, I promise! Tinkerbell2511, I'm glad you like this fanfic ;) I was hesitant about whether to post it on here or not, and I'm glad I did! LC, I know what you mean about Tiger and Tintin; I didn't realize that until I brought Rastapopoulos in! It's kind of weird to think about, isn't it?

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Tintin, Captain, Snowy, etc, etc. (I think we all know that.) I only own Vicki and Tiger. Wow! Long A/N, sorry!

Chapter Nine

Tintin paced the jail cell, restless as a caged lion.

Well, he had always reminded Vicki a bit of a lion, with all his brave stunts, his sharp mind, and his noble values. And here he was, in a cage. So, stupid simile, really, Vicki told herself, grimacing.

"I can't find anything to help us," he told her, grabbing the bars and shaking them vigorously, an action to which the bars did not seem inclined to respond.

Vicki jumped up and aided him in his search, checking every crevice she could find. The floor tiles showed no sign of lifting, the door could not be opened, and worst of all, she was stuck in a dress with an elaborate hairdo. Yep. She was really living the dream life now.

Tintin sighed, letting his fingers slide over everything they could reach: the wall, the floor, the door to the cage. He felt nothing. Turning to Vicki, he let a slight smirk light up his face. "And that, my dear Vicki, is what you get for being related to me. By blood or by friendship," he added, thinking of Captain and Snowy.

"I think it's worth it," commented Vicki, who still hadn't taken for granted that Tintin had taken her in when no one else she knew would.

Tintin smiled sadly, sinking down to the floor and trying the tiles again. "And even if we did get them up, it's not like Mr. Wang would be waiting for us," he sighed.

"Who?" Vicki asked.

"Long story. Did you read my article on the Cigars of the Pharaoh?" he asked her.

"No," she replied.

"Oh. The Blue Lotus?"

"Tintin! Please, can we try to get out?"

"We are," her cousin responded. "Wait," he said, an idea lighting up his face. "A bobby pin! Do you have a bobby pin?"

"Sorry," she said, shrugging helplessly.

"Any piece of jewelry that can get into a tight space?" he questioned her, scanning her outfit for necklaces or bracelets or rings.

Again she shrugged. Tintin sighed. "I suppose we'll wait and see what they do with us. If they take us out, we can probably make a run for it. Until then, keep looking!"

And so they did. The two cousins shook the cell to its core, searching and searching, looking and looking. Eventually, a wall of silence began to build up, and tension came along with it. Tintin bit his lip. He shouldn't have brought his cousin, his fifteen-year-old cousin! Then again, he was seventeen, and he had been able to get himself out of all sorts of tight situations, right? This one shouldn't be any different.

"I'm sorry about Tiger, Vicki," said Tintin quietly, before he could stop himself.

"I know. There's nothing either of us could do about it, he went his own path. But I had forgotten it was because he was defending me…" Vicki let her voice trail off, a wave of guilt surging through her like a wave crashing onto a beach. Tiger's position was all her fault.

Tintin sensed her thoughts. "Victoria!" he cried. "How dare you insult yourself like that! You, a worthy girl… Nothing was your fault. This was all Rastapopoulos's sick idea to get revenge on me. Your parents weren't your fault, Tiger isn't your fault, nothing is your fault!" He stood up, hands on hips, and faced her. Her face was white, and her hands were shaking. But he could see a calculating gaze in her blue eyes, and he knew that at the back of her mind, she was torturing herself ruthlessly, wondering if she would see Tiger by the time this was all over.

"I know," she said, her head down. "Tintin, I'm lucky to have such a good cousin. I don't deserve you."

"Yes, you do. Don't be silly." Tintin hugged her briefly, feeling rather awkward. He hadn't known he had a cousin a month ago, and now here he was, embracing her as if they had known each other since infancy. "There's a way out of here. And don't you blame yourself for a second, Vicki. I have a feeling we'll make it."

"I believe you. I trust you," Vicki told her cousin. "Now, come on! We don't have a second to spare. What do you suppose they'll do to us?"

"Well, based on my past experiences." Tintin paused to gather his thoughts. "Based on my past experiences, they'll probably want to tie us to posts outside, Tiger's probably going to want to see you before we die, to gloat, most likely, and then, bang- it'll all be over."

She gazed at him, startled.

"That's if it goes their way," he reminded her, grinning. "Our way is much less savage."

"I should hope so," said the girl faintly. "Where do you think Snowy is?"

"Snowy's probably trying to find his way back to the hotel. Unfortunately, I don't think he shall be successful… he usually tries to find things by scent, and considering how busy this city is, our trail's long been covered up. Snowy couldn't possibly have memorized his way back, though, could he?" Tintin thought on it, then shrugged. "Probably not. It's up to us, Vicki."

"I think we can do it," she told him bravely, gripping his hand firmly and shaking it.

"I agree," her cousin said, smiling. "Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

Again they searched, and failed. Vicki, slumped against the wall yawned as Tintin frantically stood and looked around.

"Tintin… it's three AM," said Vicki, glancing at her watch. She was dead tired of this place, and wished she was back at the hotel, sleeping.

"I know. They'll probably come get us in the morning. Great snakes, I'm always out by now!" Tintin grabbed the bars and jiggled them again. The end result was an exhausted Tintin, and the bars still firmly in place.

Vicki had never been so bored- and yet so scared- in her life. What was going to happen when the thugs came to get them?

Two hours later, the sun was beginning to rise, and Tintin was working himself into a nervous sweat, Vicki joining in. The gray walls were beginning to make Vicki feel like vomiting, and Tintin had removed his trench coat and hat. Vicki wished she could take her dress off, but she had nothing on underneath.

And so they paced, awaiting daybreak.

"Shh! Listen!" Tintin jumped up, holding a finger to Vicki's lips.

She pushed it away. "What, Tintin, what?"

"Footsteps!"

And so they were, ruffling through the grass outside… more foes, or perhaps, rescuers?