Chapter Twenty: Automatic Torture Machine (Joe Hardy)

Remember how Frank said that getting your ATAC Private Investigator ID renewed after it has been suspended is a total headache of a procedure? Well it is. A headache. I'm learning this the disgustingly hard way.

By sitting on the floor of the machine car with my back pressed up against the wall, stuck on some primitive branch of ATAC's online help centre, which is the only page my fickle 4G system will allow me on, texting this quote unquote "contact", which I am totally convinced by now is nothing more than a stupid computer robot.

It isn't helping me. In fact, it is killing me. And I want to kill it. It calls itself Danielle. I hate it. I sit here on the floor for a good hour talking to this thing—trying to get it to understand me. Which is probably a totally lost cause.

DANIELLE: Hello, Joe Hardy. My name is Danielle. Please tell me what problems you seem to be experiencing.

JOE: I need help renewing my ATAC PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR IDENTIFICATION.

DANIELLE: ATAC registers Private Investigators by a series of exams which can be fulfilled at ATAC's headquarters in New York. Have you taken these exams?

JOE: I know. and yes I've taken the exams.

DANIELLE: Have you successfully completed these exams?

JOE: yes.

DANIELLE: Have you registered a Private Investigator Identification with ATAC in the past?

JOE: YES.

DANIELLE: I understand that your Private Investigator Identification has expired.

JOE: wow you are so smart

DANIELLE: I do not understand that comment.

JOE: I need to renew my ATAC Private Investigator Identification. Please help me.

DANIELLE: I need to connect with ATAC Security Cloud and find the information from your expired Private Investigator Identification to prove your legitimacy. Please provide the following information: What is your former ATAC Agent number?

DANIELLE: JH.125560097

JOE: COLLECTING DATA.

DANIELLE: Please be patient while I connect to ATAC Security Cloud…

JOE: Wait no, Danielle don't leave me.

DANIELLE: Please be patient while I connect to ATAC Security Cloud…

JOE: Oh my God.

DANIELLE: I do not understand that comment.

JOE: How do I renew my ATAC Private Investigator Identification?

DANIELLE: To renew your Private Investigator Identification, you must verify your authentication of identity and complete the Private Investigator Registration exam at ATAC headquarters in New York.

JOE: you've got to be kidding me.

JOE: Did you get the information from the ATAC Security Cloud?

DANIELLE: I cannot connect to the ATAC Security Cloud at this time. I can only connect to the cloud if requested by an identified human.

DANIELLE: Please submit a legitimate request for verification.

JOE: What the heck does that mean?

DANIELLE: I do not understand that question.

JOE: you are stupid.

DANIELLE: I do not understand that comment.

JOE: You are a robot. Why are you doing this to me?

DANIELLE: Your Help Centre Contact session has exceeded the Quick Resolve limit of 30 minutes.

DANIELLE: If you would like to continue seeking help, please verify that you are human. Otherwise, your session will be timed out.

JOE: okay. I HAVE FLESH AND BLOOD I AM A HUMAN.

DANIELLE: Please verify that you are human. Answer the following question: What is 3 + 6?

JOE: seventeen.

DANIELLE: Incorrect.

JOE: No duh.

DANIELLE: Your session has been timed out.

JOE: NO YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME DANIELLE. PLEASE COME BACK. I'M SORRY.

JOE: please?

JOE: THREE PLUS SIX EQUALS NINE.

JOE: 3 + 6 = 9

JOE: THREE + SIX = NINE.

JOE: I can't believe ATAC ever invented you, Danielle.

I open up the internet window that has been hanging out at the bottom of the screen, launching a new help chat. I'm not getting desperate. I already am. As desperate. As it. Gets.

DANIELLE: Hello, Joe Hardy. My name is Danielle. Please tell me what problems you seem to be experiencing.

JOE: You don't remember me from two seconds ago? It's me. Joe.

DANIELLE: Please tell me what problems you seem to be experiencing.

JOE:wow. that hurts. I can't believe you.

DANIELLE: I do not understand that comment.

JOE: I HATE YOU DANIELLE.

And I close out of the stupid chat completely. So yeah, getting this ticked off at a robot is pretty low, even for me. But at this point? I don't really care.

I let my phone face plant into the tile floor, letting the back of my head bash into the wall behind me.

This morning has been total suck, starting at dawn. I'm trying to somehow block out of my memory the whole conversation I had with Nancy this morning—how she took me out on the platform to watch the sunrise and everything was a faded under an umbrella of fog. How for a few moments, the conversation felt so casual. But then, of course, the grave of my only horribly-kept secret had to be dug up again. She was practically begging me to tell her what was wrong. And I couldn't—so I was forced to leave.

…Who am I kidding? I chose to leave. I walked out on her. And I feel like a total jerk for doing it. Everything inside me wanted to run back to her and tell her everything—totally spill my guts, then and there. And above all, apologize for being such an idiot. But I didn't. And I feel like I can't even apologize to her now, without having to explain everything.

The battle in my brain drops dead as the familiar racket of the door being thrown open echoes around inside the machine car. I don't even stick my head out from behind the side of the file cabinet that I'm sitting next to on the floor to see who it is. I don't really care, to be honest. The door shuts. Footsteps.

I go back to my phone, unlocking the screen but not really getting past the app page. Keeping my eyes numbly focused on the screen, even when the footsteps come closer and finally stop right in front of me. Black Converse.

"Joe? What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I drag in a shallow breath, not even looking up at him. "…What do you want?"

Frank sighs, loud enough for it to echo slightly in the hollowness of the car. "I just.. I wanted to apologize. For last night." he pauses for a few seconds, and I don't fill the empty space. "For how I was pretty hard on you. I'm sorry."

I keep my eyes fixed on the app screen of the phone, which flicks dimmer from lack of being touched in the last ten seconds.

Train noises. No one talking. I don't look up.

"That's fine—you don't have to say anything," Frank finally turns and cuts across the rest of the machine car, heading for the opposite door. Letting a dose of frustration bleed through his voice.

Leaving me sitting here in my misery. And that's literally it. He leaves, without saying anything else. And I don't say anything either.

So yeah, I know I acted like a total jerk to Frank last night. I get it okay? I want more than freaking anything to be able to rewind last night and do it differently. I shouldn't have blown up at him like that. No matter how frustrated and tortured I was, I shouldn't have. Frank doesn't have anything to do with this. But the more he and Nancy start to catch on and figure out what is really going down here? The more dangerous this whole situation is becoming. For Nancy.

God, I wish I could tell her. I wish I could somehow protect her from everything, so she could know the truth and never be confused or hurt again. Why can't that happen? Just like that. God, I wish Tino had threatened to kill me, instead of Nancy. Then I wouldn't have cared.

My eyes, which have gradually closed under my face-planted palm, immediately open up as my phone starts going into convulsions, buzzing itself across the gold tile. I grab it to check the incoming call. It's her. I pull in a breath, wanting to bash my head into the wall again, but instead I just pick up the call.

"Joe here,"

"Hey." her voice her voice comes through the speaker sounding soft and slightly shaken. "It's Nancy."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she blows out a sigh. "I think so. Can you meet me in a dining car as soon as you get the chance? I need to talk to you about some developments."

I pull in a breath. I can't avoid this anymore. I can't. "Sure, I'll um. I'll be right there."

"Kay," with that she ends the call.

I pocket my cell phone, pulling myself off the floor, and heading in the direction of the dining car. Okay Joe, figure it out. You're going to go talk with Nancy about the case. The case. God, how the heck am I supposed to talk about it? How am I supposed to go over "developments" when my mouth is virtually duct-taped shut? This whole thing is such an absolute nightmare.

I pull open the door leading into Jake's car—getting inside and letting it slam behind me. Hallways quiet, shadowed, stuffy. Almost too quiet. For a second, I think I hear footsteps.

I shake off the feeling and roll my aching bruised shoulder, winding around the corner and following the trailing old carpet all the way down the hall to the door. But I don't make it to the door. I don't even make it past the doorway to Jake's study.

Something hits me out of nowhere—two heavy, cold hands slamming down on my shoulders, tackling me—or more like throwing me face first into the wall. I tense up—but defence comes two seconds too late. The first thing I hear after the black fog fades out of my vision is the voice that could very easily be mistaken for a growl.

"You lying son of a—"

I kick him. Hard. Then stab my elbow into his ribs and try to drop out of the hold he had me in for a second there. Instead of jumping for the door and getting the heck out of there? Like I should have? Instead, my inner John Wayne just has to screw me up again. Because this time I twist around and throw at him what would've been a good hard punch in the face. Man, "would've been" are a couple of sick, sad words. More than anything right now? I so want to deck this guy.

He pulls back, grabbing my wrist and locking it in an iron grip, twisting it behind my back—and I swear I can hear it crunch slightly. Clamping his other hand down on my sore shoulder, he nails me face-first against the wall again. This time holding me there hard.

"You want your shoulder dislocated, Hardy?" he drawls hoarsely, digging his fingernails in.

I wince, sucking up the pain instead of letting it show. "No."

"Then you don't move a damn muscle." Tino shoves me up against the wall harder. "You tell me right now exactly what you told Nancy about me."

I swallow the dry, aching lump in my throat, trying to get enough air in to reply. "…I didn't. I—didn't tell her anything,"

"Don't you lie to me, you—" insert curses and his cold, sweaty fingers edging under my collarbone.

"No!" I almost burst out, stopping the pressure on my shoulder immediately. "I swear I'm not lying. I haven't said a word to anyone about you."

A short, tense pause. Tino pulls back an inch or so, his gaze burning into my face for a few seconds. "I don't believe you. I don't believe that a talker like you could possibly keep his mouth shut this long."

"I'm telling the tru—"

"Oh shut up. I've heard enough from you."

I twist around in his grip, somehow managing to get myself out of the position just slight enough to face him. "I don't care, you're gonna hear me out anyway."

He scoffs and rolls his eyes but doesn't slug me, which is a start.

"You don't know how many times I wanted to tell Nancy everything—but I didn't because of you, because of your lame, demented death threats—"

"If my death threats are so "lame" and "demented" then why are you so worried about them? So freaked out about them?" a sick, twisted smile starts to leak out onto his face, "No need to reply, Hardy. I know the answer. 'Cause you know I'm serious when I say that I'll kill her."

I find my voice after a second. "Look, I didn't tell her anything—"

"You're such a lousy liar, Hardy. I can see right through you. First you go blab to Nancy about how I was the one who switched those maps, then you pretend like you have no ripping clue what I'm talking about. You know exactly what I'm talking about,"

"I don't, actually,"

"Fine. Deny it," at this point? Tino drops his hands, letting me out of his vice grip, taking a step back, "It doesn't affect the truth."

"You're right. It doesn't."

Man, this right here is my opportunity to totally knock him in the face and take this guy out. Every atom in my body begs to. But I don't. Because I have nowhere to go. No ATAC to back me up.

So I just drag a breath into my lungs and take one step towards the door leading out of here. He takes a few more paces backwards, through the doorway and into Jake's study, keeping his eye on me the whole time.

My hand closes around the cold door knob.

"What are you going to do, Hardy?" he stops, hands going into his pockets. Shaking his head slowly. "There's no one to run to. You'll never be able to get that ATAC ID back, no matter how hard you try. Never. Not even at their headquarters in New York." he almost laughs, slightly. A sick, mumbled kind. "You better be careful, kid. Or you'll never see New York again."

I nod quickly, raising my eyebrows cynically. "Yeah right," and with that? I am freaking done.

I give the knob a brutal twist, throwing myself against the door which relents to me on groaning hinges, letting me out onto the platform and slamming shut. Echoing iron ringing.

I jump the coupler and get myself inside Camille's car. Into the safety and warmth and audible bleeping noises of John Gray's machinery. Pulling myself together, messing my hair normally.

God, what the heck just happened back there? What did I just get myself into?

How did Tino know exactly when I was going to be walking past that doorway so he could corner me like that? And how the heck did he know how I've been struggling so much to get that ID back? This whole thing is ripping messed up.

FlightFeathers: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I always so enjoy reading your thoughts on this story. :) Yes, I really liked the way the interaction came out too. 3 poor Joe indeed. Also I'm happy to hear that you wanted Nancy to stop Joe and make him tell her – I love frustrating stuff like that? XD I don't know, it just adds to the angst of everything I guess. Nancy saw something happening on Tino's phone – like if he wasn't controlling it, but someone else was. ;) All will be revealed in the upcoming chapters! :D I hope you liked this installment!