Chapter Twenty-Six: All in the Name of Love and War
Here we go again, the net chapter in "Pandora's Panic Box" and I'm gonna be honest, I've been a little lazy as well so that also factors in to why this took me so long to write the next chapter. As always, be sure to favorite and leave comments! I'll try to post sooner for the next chapter, until then, enjoy chapter Twenty-six!
Kneeling down beside the unconscious impostor, I search her pocket for anything that could help me. Nothing seems to have stirred up the masses after I put myself back together, maybe Obadiah hadn't been watching the video feed at the time. If that's the case then I need to get out of here before he decides to check up on his little prisoner.
Anger roars through me, blazing like an inferno that rips through the forest during the dry months. Digging through the front right pocket, I pull out what looks like a small circular CD disk. Rising to my feet, I watch as the disk illuminates a dull cerulean blue glow that seems to shine brighter when aimed at the long hallway attached to the warehouse. Maybe it's a key that can be used as a map to lead me out of this place.
Following the glowing of the disk, I slowly edge my way down into the dark hallway leading me into another large room; however, this room is circular with a large, vintage chandelier hanging loosely over a burgundy carpeted floor. The disk fly's from my hands and lands in the center of the room where it is met by a cement column that lifts up from the ground and when it does, an opening for the device appears in its center.
The column consumes the disk with cement. The room rumbles shortly after, the ground feels like an earthquake and I desperately want something to grab onto for support or at the very least, something to cover my head with encase the roof caves in. A loud rumble that sounds like someone moving heavy block tiles fills the room and when a large square opening appears in the floor with stairs leading downward, that's when I know it's my way out.
Darting forward, I don't let any hesitation penetrate my consciousness. Now's now the time to quarrel over the details, I need to find Toby. That's my only priority. Maybe I don't have the fondest feelings towards my baby brother but he's a baby with a while life ahead of him and as for me, well if I die today, I've lived for nearly eighteen years and that's a hell of a lot longer than Toby.
The underground walkway is dark, dank, and smells of sewer water. I hold my breath and keep my eyes wide-open, even though the smell stings my eyes so intensely that it's making them water profusely. All that I knew for sure is that there was a glow of light in the distance and as soon as I reached it, my time will be up and the battle will be on.
As soon as I reach the end of the hallway, I climb a set of stair and reach forward in the darkness. My fingers brush across a freezing metal door. Shifting my weight forward, I push the door open slowly and peek my head around the corner. When I see no one in the area, I slip out from the door and start down the eerily silent hall until I look forward and see a flash of orange-red(ish) like my hair.
Narrowing my eyes, I step back. My heart pounds in my ear and I run forward, taking a left to follow the person that I thought I'd locked in that concrete room only to find the new hall empty as well. Then she appears, but this time she's not revealing herself, instead she is dressed back in the skintight dress with the veil that covers her face.
"What do you want now? A rematch is fun and all but you're gonna loose..." I say and just as I'm about to get ready for a fight she glides over, pulling me around the corner with our backs to the wall, covering my mouth with her gloved hand and restraining my arm with her own. Just as I'm about to scream and fight her with all my might, I see two HYDRA agents walk by, casually chatting about some unimportant thing.
The Woman in the Black Veil releases me and take a few steps back and that's when it hits me.
"You're not the same person as the woman in the warehouse with me, are you?" I ask in a hushed whisper, not wanting to catch unwanted attention from the HYDRA agents that could be roaming the halls.
She simply shakes her head and hold up her index and middle finger, telling me that they'e are two. Her and the woman who was pretending to be my mom. One of them, this one, was on my side, the other one wasn't and they both have dressed in this disguise.
"You're the one who wanted me to stay out of everything so HYDRA wouldn't be after me, but why are you here if you're against them?" I ask, my mind swelling with the need to understand.
The Woman in the Black Veil simply looks at me through the two holes cut in her veil.
Suddenly the answer whispers through my mind without the woman even having to utter a single word. The answer to my question is as obvious as 1, 2, 3 and it embarrasses me that I didn't already realize it before the question popped out."You were blackmailed..."
Another nod.
Louder voices fill the hallway on the other side, the hallway leading down to the corner of the next hall where we're hiding at. The Woman in the Black Veil's eye dart over before she looks directly at me with a silent message in her green eyes that rings as clear as day. Follow me.
She spins on her heels and practically flies down the hallway in near silence while I hurry after her, attempting to at least remain quite so that I don't catch the attention of the HYDRA agents. Taking a right, I watch her black dress billow in waves behind her as she leads me through a maze of similarly colored hallways with absolutely no labels or signs to tell you where you're at.
I don't know what's with these secret agencies not having a building layout with signs for what number or rooms are down each hall, but they seriously need to get working on that. It'd certainly make my life a hell of a lot easier. The Woman in the Black Veil walks about ten steps ahead of me and still gaining speed as we stroll further into the depths of HYDRA's secret base.
All the lines on the wall seem to be zigzagged with thick black marking carved into the plain white walls, something that S.H.I.E.L.D. used to have before that place crashed and burned. Suddenly the though brushes across my mind like a swift kick to the abdomen. What happened to Rae and Oliver...? Obadiah Stane never mentioned taking them, but if they're still at my house, what about Dad? Does he even know I'm missing?
Does he even care?
Of course he does you idiot...! Sounds a voice, but it take me a minute to realize it's not my own. No, it's Rae's. We are on route to your location, try to keep yourself safe until we arrive. It is still a bit of time before we will be able to help.
Understood, now get out of my head!
Raven's voice goes silent and the feeling of someone prodding around my head vanishes like it wasn't even there to begin with. The Woman in the Black Veil stops outside a large, overlooking golden colored door with a sleek wooden frame surrounding the outer area of it. She holds up a single index finger, pointing it at the door in front of her like I'm supposed to know what the hell that's supposed to mean.
Taking a spot beside her, I move forward, using all my strength, I push the door open and turn around to face the woman. Only to find that she has vanished and I'm standing all alone in a large, open room shaped like a cylinder. A skylight overhead allows a ray of white sunlight into the room, lighting the center where an ivory colored crib sits.
Small, stubby little hands wave in distress as the wailing of baby Toby fills my ears, and while under normal circumstances I'd be annoyed by this crying, all I can feel is the overwhelming sense of relief at knowing that he's alright. Crossing the floor, I look over the crib side to see the red faced, teary-eyes child with a short of affection and fondness washing through my veins.
Bang! The door slams shut. Turning, I see my mother—no, the impostor—sneering at me with distaste and hateful anger burning in her green eyes. What I don't understand is what she has against me, but at this moment, it doesn't matter. Putting my back to the crib, I glance over my shoulder once last time to see Toby who opens his little eyes to look at me, the crying subsided.
"Don't worry Toby, I'll protect you," I shrug, the feeling of protectiveness drowning me. "That's what big sisters are for, right?"