Mike got up from the floor quickly, adjusted the zip on his hooded top, reset his glasses and moved around to Ashildr's left side. He scowled to himself. Victor followed, standing in front of Mike, making a fist with his right hand, going to punch him but stopping a few inches from his face. Mike recoiled a few paces back, panicking, stumbling into a bank of controls.
"Scared, little man?" Victor said, laughing loudly, going to ruffle Mike's hair patronisingly with his right hand.
Mike batted Victor's hand away. "Do you mind?" he shouted, raising a fist in return.
"Like to see you try," chuckled Victor, holding out his hands, inviting a punch.
Mike kept his fist up, narrowing his eyes.
"No?" Victor said, goading him, "not so tough, are you?" Victor sniggered.
"You two," snapped Delta moving in front of Ashildr to her left, "please stop."
Victor moved around to the right side of Ashildr with heavy footsteps.
"What are you doing?" asked Ashildr. "I refuse to be part of whatever this is."
The grey haired man sauntered over to stand on the right between her and Victor. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, darling," he said to her as if she were a child, putting a heavy hand on her right shoulder. "Is everyone ready?" he said in polished English, doing up a stray button on his jacket, clearing his throat as he smoothed it down.
"Ready for what?" said Ashildr, looking around at them. She noticed the sonic sunglasses hanging out of Delta's right pocket mere inches away from her left hand. They were in easy reach if Delta moved towards her. Ashildr decided to wait it out, rather than snatching for them now. "What are you doing?"
"Shh," said Delta. "It will be over soon," she paused, "I'm ready."
"Ready," grunted Victor.
"Mike?" the grey haired man leaned forward past the line. They all turned to look at him.
Mike pushed his glasses up his nose, zipping up his hooded jumper an inch, clearly still disgruntled. His acne covered face sneered back at the man. "Yes, I'm ready." He snapped his fingers loudly.
"Sir," the guard in front said, almost dismissively. He aimed the grey cube he was holding towards Ashildr, pointing a side that was shimmering aqua blue in their direction. The tall guard pressed a button on the top and the cube lit up, emitting an almost blinding white light.
Ashildr shut her eyes firmly, giving it a few seconds before even attempting to reopen them. The light had subsided, leaving only a red mark on her vision where she had been temporarily blinded.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please may we have your attention," the grey haired man said. "We have a further announcement." He directed his gaze towards the screen showing the donation figures. "I can see that many of you have donated to our cause, we are now at," he paused, "twenty three percent, and at 6.30am I suppose that would mean we are on track to reach our target before midnight. There are, however, many people who have not donated, including some of the wealthiest people in the complex."
Delta shifted next to her, retrieving something from her left pocket, Ashildr almost had a finger from her left hand on the sunglasses before she pulled away.
"We have the antidote to the infection," Delta said, to her left. She held a yellow vial in front in her left hand. "This," she held the vial up to the light above, "this tiny little bottle liquid has the ability to restore everyone that has been affected by the contagion back to normal. I imagine a lot of you have now lost parents, siblings, children... friends... to the infected. It really is a nasty little virus isn't it?" she smiled and replaced the vial in her dress pocket, again putting the sunglasses within touching distance of her left hand, only to be glanced away again.
"We have access to the air conditioning systems," said Mike, "all it would take is all of the money to be donated and we can put it into the vents." He cleared his throat, "within an hour all of your friends and family will be returned to normal, we can leave and you can return to your discounted shopping day, no hard feelings."
"However," said Victor, from the other side, "if you don't," he chuckled, "be prepared for a long day here, trying to stay alive." He put his hands in front and crossed them.
"You may notice that we are have been joined by a very special guest," the grey haired man continued. He paused, turning his head to the left to glance at her. "We very much want to trace her friend-"
"She's not my friend," Ashildr interjected blankly, distracted.
Delta struck her in the ribs hard with her right fist. Ashildr doubled herself over half in pain, half to hide the fact she had swiped the sunglasses into her left hand. She switched them to her right hand and manoeuvred them into her own left jacket pocket out of sight.
"We believe she is going to be very useful to our cause," the grey haired man said. "Please make yourself known before 10am, either by donating the impressively large amount of money you acquired earlier or presenting yourself at an information point."
"Anyone that assists finding this woman," said Delta, "will be granted access to the secure areas away from the infected, including the transportation out of here. She was last seen in the P4 area. Her name is," she turned to Ashildr, "what's her name?"
"Her name?" said Ashildr, "you actually think I'm going to tell you her name? Think again," she smirked.
Delta moved her hand towards the gun in her belt.
"OK, OK," said Ashildr, playing along, feigning being scared. "Her name is..." she paused, feeling mischievous, "Barry."
"Anyone that can assist us in finding Barry will be rewarded," said the man. "We are hoping that if you are watching, Barry, you will have the sense to donate to the cause." Ashildr let out a small smirk, hoping Clara was watching.
"If you do not make yourself known, we are going to kill your friend here," Delta said as she took the gun out of her belt with her left hand and placed the barrel against Ashildr's left temple. "We don't want to kill her, let that be known, but we will do it." She put her right hand down hard onto Ashildr's shoulders. "I will do it," she sneered.
"Remember, the quicker we get our money, the sooner you can all, we can all go home," the grey haired man said, smiling. "Thank you for your attention."
The guard in front turned off the small grey box.
Delta looked at her, twitching her eyelids, not moving the gun. "Don't you even try to test my patience," she sneered at her.
"Really?" said Ashildr, "I'm not afraid. Shoot me if you want. I'm no strategic value if you shoot me."
"Don't tempt me," said Delta, pulling the gun away and back into her waistband. She narrowed her eyes one last time and then moved away, clipping her heels back towards the table with the others. The guard handed the grey box to Mike and then returned to his earlier position at the vaulted door.
"It won't work, you know," Ashildr shouted to the four of them.
"What won't?" said the grey haired man, returning to her, the only one in earshot.
"She won't give you the money or turn herself in," said Ashildr loudly, "threatening me won't make her do anything."
"We're hoping it will," said the man.
"I wouldn't bet on it," said Ashildr. "I'm the last person in the world she'd want to save, you may as well have a stranger sat here."
The man folded his arms and looked at her pensively.
"Leave her Charlie," said Delta to the grey haired man. "She's obviously trying to get herself killed. She'll be lucky if we don't kill her before the deadline."
Charlie scratched his chin once and then turned on his heel back to the group.
Ashildr smirked to herself. She had the sunglasses, and could get out of the handcuffs if she really wanted. Now she just needed to wait for her opportunity to escape.
