Disclaimer: I sadly, do not own anything of the Transformers franchise
Chapter 10
If there was one thing that Keiara Reid did not appreciate it was being treated like a fool, especially a fool in the dark. Which is why, when she could get nowhere with the Arlington police from her home in Phoenix, Keiara took the first flight to Virginia and did what she did best: bugged the hell out of people for answers.
But whatever was going on in this military town was being kept tightly under wraps. News cameras and radios where cramming around Sam's Hasbro building and the Pentagon, but neither side had yet to release a statement about the past events. From the rumors that she had heard, Sam was most likely not even in the country, which only made matters worse.
"Keiara I hate to say this but—"
"No, Jonathan, I'm not leaving with answers. I want to know what happened," Keiara argued with her husband over the phone. "Mikaela doesn't just fall off the face of the earth!"
"Have you spoken to any police officers or department heads?"
"Have I? Jonathan every time I mention her name they all look at me like I'm crazy! They didn't even know she was here! It's because of me that they're now looking for two people and not just one! Dammit John I want to know what happened to her!"
"I do too, Keiara, but I also know that you can't become so obsessed about this and completely forget your responsibilities back home," John responded.
"How am I supposed to look Abigail in the face and tell her that I gave up on looking for her granddaughter? And what about Rodger? What do I tell him? Give up on his daughter?"
John sighed. "No. It's just—be careful. There's something seriously dangerous going on over there and I don't want to lose you too. Promise me, Keiara."
"I promise," she vowed. "I'll call you if I get something new. Give the kids my love."
"Of course. I love you, babe. I'll call you later."
About an hour later, Keiara was glad that her husband hadn't asked her to not do anything stupid. She would have hated to lie to him.
She stood facing the large military base wondering how on earth she could even get the attention of someone in the Pentagon. Of course she knew the easiest and most detrimental approach, one she was hoping that wouldn't be necessary.
Keiara took an easy access in with a touring group. They had limited access to certain parts of the Pentagon, but on her way past a scale of an upcoming memorial, Keiara caught eye of a map of the different floors and office departments. She fell back in the group reading the list up in down.
"Now if I were Sam Witwicky, what would I be doing for the Pentagon? I mean, what do they need a toy maker for?"
She ran her finger up and down the list until it rested on the division of offices for NEST. She leaned over the plaque trying to decrypt its meaning.
"Excuse me ma'am," a security officer coming behind her asked. "Do you have identification and a permit to be on this level?"
"I-I"
"UGH!" a woman groaned coming off of the elevator. She looked tired and haggard. "I hate him."
"Um, I with her," Keiara lied quickly. She instantly took the woman's hand shaking it, begging for her to go along mentally. "I'm Keiara Reid; we spoke over the phone this morning about. I'm the new assistant you hired."
The woman was an excellent liar and could pick of hints amazingly well. "That's right," she agreed. "Yes, um, Ms. Reid, here I've been expecting you. Come with me and you can meet our clients. Excuse me officer."
The woman dragged Keiara onto the elevator and when the doors shut, the woman finally spoke.
"I don't know who you are, but if you've had a day like mine, I figured you could use some help."
"Thank you. You don't know what it means to me."
"Well as long has you have no immediate plans to the blow of the Pentagon, I don't mind."
The elevator stopped on Level 4 and Keiara got off and quickly found another map. She had coincidentally gotten off on the floor of where the NEST offices were supposedly located. She memorized the map quickly and took a left and the end of the hall, and was met by a pair of ordinary looking doors. Frowning she raised her hand to pull open the door, when a small pen shaped laser emerged from above her.
"Incorrect access. You are not permitted entrance into this facility. Intruder. Intruder."
"No no no no," Keiara hissed kicking the door in an ill attempt to make it stop. She instead left the door and ran back for the elevator. When the doors reopened she was met by a full team of security personnel.
"I think you should come with us."
Hours later, Keiara wrestled in the empty interrogation room. She didn't know what time it was, or how long she had been staying there. What she did know, was that when Jonathan heard about this—well she was never going to hear the end of it.
She rested her head onto the table, and what seemed like minutes later a small group of officers entered the room and bound her wrists in handcuffs.
"Wait a minute!" she complained. "What the hell is going on here? Let go of me!"
The officers gave no response and escorted her out of the room and to an underground tunnel where she was put into the back of a black SUV and driven away from the Pentagon building. Even after hours of pleading and begging, none of the officers responded to any of her question, nor said anything to each other. Around what she guessed would be two a.m., Keiara gave it a temporary rest to sleep. When she woke again, the car had stopped and they had now arrived at a hotel.
"What is going on here?" she tried again. There was no response.
The officers parked at the back of the hotel and escorted her inside and up to the top floor, in a suite.
"This is where you will be staying for the duration of your period here," one of the officers informed her. "You are not permitted to leave this hotel, or make any phone calls. If you do so, the Pentagon will be notified immediately and consequences will follow."
"Consequences?" she spat. "You drag me to a hotel, without any explanation and you're threatening me with consequences? Someone better tell me what the hell is going on around here or I'll—"
"Mr. Witwicky sends his regards," an officer responded before exiting her room.
Keiara threw her bag down in her empty room. "Screw you Sam."
By the end of her first day at the hotel—which she learned to be an Embassy in East Syracuse, New York—Keiara had learned very little about her arrangements. The hotel staff was very quiet when she asked them about how the hotel was to be paid for. They all insisted that the cost was already covered. And when she asked where and when the money came, they instantly clamored up like fish, refusing to give any information away.
She also learned that those military officials, whoever they were, weren't lying about the not being able to leave part. There were men watching her and every time she moved too close to the entry doors, they would step in as if an innocent stranger blocking her way.
It was nearing eight when Keiara wandered by the pool. She messed lightly with one of the strings of her jacket watching others splash away in the pool, enjoying their paradise.
"This place is great, don't you agree?" a man beside said.
"It's alright," Keiara responded dully.
"It's an Embassy!" the man insisted. "It's more than alright. It's paradise."
"Paradise of what? Ignorance? Secrecy?"
"Well, you know the saying: one man's trash is another man's treasure."
"And one man's treasure is another man's trash," Keiara retorted.
"Good point," the man responded. "Well, I'll leave you."
The man stood up and left the pool area whistling to himself. Keiara let her gaze wander around until she saw a brown wallet. It must have belonged to the man, she concluded picking it up.
When she arrived back into the hotel lobby she went up to the clerk, who instantly tensed.
"A man left his wallet at the counter. The name is Robert Colson according to his ID. Do you know what room he's in? I wanted to return it."
"Oh Mr. Colson? Yes, he's in 711. But I can have some of the—"
Keiara didn't bother to hear the rest, as she turned for the elevator.
Room 711 was on the 7th floor not too far from the elevator. When she emerged from the elevator, Keiara strolled down the hall casually and heard the conversation of two hissing voices.
"And you're sure no one is on my tail?" the man asked.
"You should relax Colson," a woman responded. "They have no idea. Everyone thinks you're dead. Blanche won't even be missed."
"Damn right he won't, fat bastard," Colson agreed.
Keiara slowed down as she reached closer to 711 where the voices were emerging from.
"The point is Witwicky's company is in shambles and now that we've got the bait that we need, we can lure him in."
"So you don't need to me to find that girl then?" Colson asked.
"No, she came to us," the woman laughed.
Keiara breath caught in her throat. She tore through the man's wallet and saw a security ID for Hasbro. She quickly heard the voices getting louder and ran back to the elevator. She threw her hands through her hair and leaned against the cool elevator wall. Jonathan was right. Something seriously dangerous was brewing.
Thank you for reading and please do not forget to review!
Much Love,
Santiva Potter