Perhaps the previous was more of a warm up, but this was fun to write.
Gonna be honest here: this chappy is the one chappy which made me hesitate to post to begin with (the irony has not escaped me). Usually once I complete writing one, I post it asap. Not this one, apparently. I have to reread and reread and reread. But I have a goal. And that is to finish this story, no matter what. Feedback on this specific one would be very, very much appreciated. Enjoy! Still got big plans, especially on the Graire end!
An unruly smell woke up Claire, snapping her back to the land of the living. She tried to move her hands, but a rope kept her hands interlocked. "'Bout time she wakes up. If she hadn't, you two would have been shipped back to the mainland," an unfamiliar British voice echoed in her ears as he cut the rope behind the blonde freeing her hands. Claire rubbed her temples. "Bunch of idiots, you lot are."
Claire looked around, her eyes darting from object to object, person to person. Nothing was that of Mineral Town. She looked beyond the people in the room. Some of them were working on terminals to which she was rapidly figuring out what their purpose was. Others she noticed were glancing towards her way but not wanting to be known. One specific man grabbed her attention over the rest. He hovered over her, waiting for her to say something.
"I guess I'm not in Kansas anymore..." the blonde wearily said.
"I beg your pardon?" the dark-haired man declared, confused by her first words. He was the same voice she had heard before.
"Nevermind," she mumbled, "Who are you?"
"Colonel James McGowan. I run this humble establishment. Consider yourself a guest."
"Got a funny way in showing it," the blonde regained more of herself still a bit wonky but with one thing on her mind, "Where the hell is my friend?" Claire half glared right into the man's soul, flinching not in the least bit. Her head still throbbed but at milder rate.
"I can assure you, Claire, he is alright." the colonel nodded to one of his men. His subordinate then quickly exited the room.
"Says you. And how the hell do you know my name?"
"I know a lot about you."
"Yes, but how?"
"I do my research."
The blonde squinted at the man in front of her, unsure of the implication. It seemed as if they were expecting her for quite some time. But why? She was a nobody who so happened to indulge a little too much in fictional worlds. Was that a crime?
She again scanned the room, focusing more on the terminals and what the people were doing than on the people themselves. Right. So they have extensive security, she thought as she noticed the security cameras in the room as well as a terminal showcasing the output of other ones, not going to be easy but doable. She then squinted more at a specific screen, trying to get a better look. Her eyes widened, realizing that one of the outputs was an area still a fair distance from town but distinctly familiar.
"Ah, now see, my darling?" McGowan pointed with his palm behind Claire distracting her from her findings, "Unharmed and very much alright."
Claire whirled around in her seat and saw a very angry blacksmith apprentice ripping away from his escort's grip. She shot off her chair and immediately embraced him, sinking into his willing arms. The two exchanged an 'are-you-alright' look and hugged again.
"Touching. But I did not bring your boyfriend out for you two to be," McGowan motioned at them, "like this."
As much as Claire instinctively wanted to correct him on the matter of Gray equalling her boyfriend, her gut told her otherwise. She had no idea why but knew at that moment trusting her gut would not steer her wrong. "Why did you bring us here? Do you make it a habit of kidnapping two people on a walk minding their business?"
"You really don't expect me to believe that, right?" the colonel laughed. "My darling, you and I both know your curiosity would have haunted."
Claire glanced to her left, seeing Gray contemplating on speaking up himself. "Skip the small talk, McGowan, and get to a point," Claire impatiently said.
"Suit yourself," the Brit paced back and forth, thinking on what exact words to continue with, "Let me ask you this one question: when you were on the mainland – and on the day you got that newspaper, deciding to buy a farm, did you ever once question what that nice older gentleman told you? That a newspaper was designated for just you? That somebody wanted, or rather, needed you to take that newspaper?"
Her thoughts drifted to that fateful day, specifically the words she had causally said to the kind old man she missed since leaving the city on her theory of the strangeness of someone wanting her to receive a specific paper. "Probably some guy who wanted me to notice him and go looking for him." Boy, was she ever wrong.
"That's more than one question," Claire stated, trying her best to hide her shock of how much this man knew. Gray watched Claire. "And just h-how!?"
"The question you should be asking is 'why?' And I will tell you-"
"It's because you need my help on something," the blonde blurted out, piecing together what seemed to make sense to her. McGowan raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, indicating to her to continue. "You say you know me. And given how much you have told me and not told me, I can only conclude that you, somehow, know what most don't."
"And the penny drops."
"Why me? I'm a nobody."
"Darling, a nobody with an extraordinary brain. By now you know this island has special properties, right? I mean, of course you do! You're the proud owner of a farm!"
"Let's assume that I do."
"For some time now, my team has been studying this island to understand its complexities. The vegetation alone is a marvel in itself. But we also have picked up some unusual activity."
Claire held her breath somewhat, afraid to give the colonel any suspicion that she knew what he was referring. She suspected he was fishing for her reaction. "What kind of unusual activity?" she squinted at him.
"I was hoping you could tell me." A woman approached McGowan whispering something to him neither Claire nor Gray could hear. McGowan nodded then snapped his fingers, grabbing the attention of a ginger-haired man. "Unfortunately, darling, I have to deal with an urgent matter because I always have to..." he trailed. The ginger approached the group. "This here is Captain Lucian Morris."
"Howdy," Morris responded.
McGowan rolled his eyes. "He will take the both of you to another room for the moment." With that, Morris with some other men led Claire and Gray to their next destination.
There were many unanswered questions. The fact that this colonel seemed to know much about the blonde scared her. Where did he learn all this? she tried conversing mentally with herself. Nothing came. She nervously bit the inside of her lip. She then felt the touch of Gray's hand and looked at him. Somehow the simple act of a touch from somebody familiar comforted the blonde. She gave him a small smile, and he gently squeezed her hand in return.
She also noted to herself the surroundings – each door, each corridor, each room. Her eyes lingered on every detail she could especially on a specific door. Wherever that led to and by it being the only door with a state-of-the-art lock, she suspected something was in there. She had guesses, but the only way to verify those guesses was for her to actually go in there. The wheels turned in her head.
Morris even, to Claire's surprise, gave them a bit of a tour of the place. He mentioned how where they were at, that being ground level, was just the tip of the iceberg. Below them were many levels, each dedicated to various types of research. Of course, he was not able to further elaborate the exact details; but Claire pieced together the relevant information. She concluded whatever they were doing was not good. That went double for whatever they were doing in the lower levels. And what details Morris was able to provide led her to believe that they were pre-approved by McGowan. She just wondered why. Was it a way for showing trust?
The three entered another room after Morris dismissed the men that tagged along. This room gave Claire the impression that it was designed for long time use. It was like a bland bedroom but with two seating arrangements scattered. She furrowed her brow. Before she had the chance to say anything, Morris assured them (though Gray was not having it, crossing his arms), told them to sit tight, then left the room.
Nearly immediately afterwards, Claire casually backed up to the closed door jiggling the doorknob behind her. It was locked. She then immediately grabbed her phone out of her pocket, keeping one eye on what she was doing and another on the details of the room.
"Well," Gray started as he collected his thoughts. He clenched his fists, hoping somehow the force would ease his tension. Claire walked towards him not once deviating from her task. "Just what the actual f-" Claire placed one finger on the blacksmith's lips, giving him a look to be quiet. Dropping her hand to his chest, she continued tapping on her phone. She then showed him her phone's screen.
They have cameras and listening devices on us. Smile at me and put your hand over mine if you understand. It read. He did, and she continued what she previously was doing on her phone. It did not take long for her to finish.
"Alright. We're fine now," Claire said as pulled her hand away from Gray.
Gray struggled with words, randomly hand gesturing. "I knew I should not have gotten up this morning..." he managed to say. He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair.
"I hear ya," Claire responded while quickly searching the room for something thin and sharpish.
"Why does that colonel know so much about you?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," the blonde stopped her search, biting the insides of her cheeks.
"What are you doing anyways?" the blacksmith squinted at her.
"Oh eff it!" Claire muttered to herself. She then proceeded to take her bra off without taking any other clothing off. She received a rather peculiar look from her friend. "What!?"
"Nothing." Gray nonchalantly stared at her.
"Don't go there, Gray. I'm in no mood. No, I am doing this," she weaved her bra through the arm of her shirt, "cause I need something from it." She retrieved the two wires from her bra, pocketing the rest. "The underwire." She popped off the plastic looking tips on both ends of both wires and also put them in her pockets.
She returned to her explanation, "So here's the rundown real quick: They locked us in here – surprise, surprise – in a room completely under their surveillance. So I used a program on my phone to manipulate their cameras – put them on a loop so to say – while also jamming their bugs. Any camera in this building should be experiencing the same thing. I am so glad I decided to write a program like this in my free time at my old job in the city. And the message boards laughed..." she muttered the latter sentence to herself.
"What did you do in the city again?"
"Something which gave me time to work on miscellaneous work," the blonde regained herself, "Anyways, these underwires of my bra have a purpose." She bent the wires where she was able to grip them better. She walked back to the door, this time with a bit more pep, and inserted them into the lock. She had only picked a lock on a door once or twice in her life but had seen it done many times. She was half confident in her ability, but it was the only idea she had. Cause staying put in the room? It was not on the table.
Gray approached her. "Do you know what you are doing?" he inquired as he leaned his shoulder against the wall.
Claire heard a click and let out an excited sigh, "Evidently." She tugged him by the hand, both leaving the room.
First priority was to get out. And even though she had taken mental notes of the corridors while being escorted around, she never got the sense on where an exit was. There was one place, however, where she at least wanted to investigate – the before mentioned intricately locked door. There was risk though, and whether it was worth it she debated with herself. After all, she knew not what would lie in store for her if the two of them were to say get caught. As they neared on the arrival of the infamous door, she made a quick decision.
She released her grip from Gray's hand. Her mind would deal with that later. "Don't kill me, but I'm going to check this room out." She pulled out the underwires she had stored in her pockets and, with the help of them, cracked open the locking mechanism connecting to the door. She pocketed the wires back into their place.
"Claire, you do realize we really should find a way out," Gray piped up, unsure of the blonde's decision. "That colonel – I really don't like him. And I especially don't trust him."
"Mmmhmm," she half-listened to the annoyed and confused man. She continued fiddling around with the insides, knowing she would eventually solve it. She had to solve it.
Gray lightly touched Claire's shoulder. She looked to her side at him in mid-task. "Gray, just let me try one more thing." He dropped his hand off her shoulder, sort of reluctant in doing so. She tried one more thing, thinking that maybe she would get lucky like in some of the shows she was known to watch. "Ha! Knew it!" she closed the panel with the door clicking. She then dragged Gray with her into the now unlocked room and immediately locked the door behind them.
"So Claire, care to explain why we are in a room full of old looking file cabinets instead?" the blacksmith crossed his arms. "And while you are at it, explain to me how this is better than getting the hell outta here," he emphasized the latter.
"There's a desk over there," the blonde pointed across the room, "so not exactly full of file cabinets." She winked at him.
"I don't need to hear your smartass side."
"Well, you got it. So deal." He just glared at her. "At any rate, there's logic to my detour. Locked room implies secrets. Given how everywhere there are cameras and the fact that the door had a very advanced locking system, I figured in here there would be none of the sort. When it comes to cameras, that is," she chuckled at herself. "I mean, why place cameras in a room where it is hard to get in as it is? And I'm right on that," she explained as she glanced around the room. "and if I'm right on that, most likely there is something here. And I have to find it." She took some steps to a close by cabinet and proceeded to open it.
"Have to?"
"Yes. Have to. I need answers, Gray. Cause I am just as freaked out about all of this as you are." Probably even more so, she thought to herself.
Gray decided to join the blonde in searching for something in the file cabinets. Neither knew what they were looking for, but Claire insisted that she would know it to see it. "A place like this just doesn't only keep the boring stuff." To top everything off like a cherry on a sundae, the blonde had no inkling when McGowan or his men would figure out what she had done to their systems and their attempt in listening in on the pair. The cherry on the sundae was more like a ticking time bomb except with no countdown, in retrospect.
As Claire frantically searched, everything about the situation she was facing started to grate her nerves all at once. The feeling was like a dam ready to burst. "So Gray," she spoke up wanting to gain back some sense of normalcy, "how was your day, minus the obvious?"
"Are we seriously doing this now?" Gray stopped to stare at what he deemed to be a crazy woman.
She briefly stopped to look at him. "Why not?" she casually remarked proceeding to ransack the next cabinet. "Now is a good enough time as ever."
Gray sighed heavily, drooping his head back to searching his current choice of cabinet. "Nothing of interest."
"Why don't I believe you?" A locked cabinet caught Claire's eye. She quickly dug out her wires.
"Cause you have an overactive imagination."
Even though she was the one to spark some semi-normal talk, the blonde paid little attention to the man as she picked the lock to the cabinet. It was a simple lock which offered little resistance. She scanned the folders with her fingers, trying to quickly find something – anything – that would offer some answers. There has got to be something here. Why go all the trouble on putting another lock but on this specific file cabinet?
Just when she thought she hit a dead end, one of the files caught her eyes. She took it out to examine it, unconsciously acting as if she were moving some explosive material. She skimmed some pages and read others and realized she was not the only person McGowan had tried to recruit. Not only that, every single page showing a name and the corresponding picture – every single person was deceased. She even recognized one specific name, a woman she had followed her research since high school. Dumbfounded, she started piecing together answers.
It was then that Gray called her name. She quickly placed the file back, closing the cabinet shut, and strode to her friend. Upon her arrival, he showed her a rather thick folder. This one was of the island, specifically plans that would tear the place apart. That part was all too clear to Gray. The details? Not so much.
The two of them looked at each other unsure what to even say let alone think. But Claire knew she had to see more. She snatched the file out of Gray's hand and flipped through each page. "I knew there was something off about that McGowan," Gray spoke up first, clenching his fists.
"Besides his accent?" Claire attempted at humour, still going through the file.
"What did you discover? You were pale as a ghost when I called you."
"Really don't want to talk about that," the blonde shoved the file back into its place, closing the file cabinet. "So don't want to talk about that." Suddenly, a rattle of someone trying to unlock the door startled them.
It was at this precise moment where time for Claire seemed to stop or, at the very least, slow down considerably. Her heart picked up in beats as her stomach seemed to travel up her throat. Different scenarios flashed in front of her of what McGowan and his men would do. She knew she had to come up with some excuse to at least satiate the inevitable questions, and definitely before Gray got the smart idea of throwing punches. But what? An idea popped into her head, but it involved a pretty clichéd situation she had seen in many television shows.
But now wasn't the time to think. She grabbed Gray by his jacket which caused some initial confusion for him and, as quickly as she did, proceeded to kiss him. Logically, at least to her, she knew this had a probability of working; but what she didn't expect was how it would intensify her feelings. Oh her heart still raced and even more so, given the unexpectedness of it. And as she made known to her recipient that this little escapade was going to last for some time, the unpredicted sent shock waves through her system.
Her action was initially out of necessity fused with perhaps some genuine feelings. But the genuine side seemed to desire control as the unpredicted outcome came into fruition: the young blacksmith matched her action, easing up his previous tension. She gradually moved her arms from near his chest to around his neck, pushing herself deeper into the connection. In response, he pushed her up against the file cabinets behind her deepening the face wrestle.
She had a feeling that 'the genuine side' would be much harder to ignore in future.
But like all good unexpected things, it came to a halt as the door swung open. It didn't stop immediately though but rather after McGowan tried not once but twice to gain the interconnected pair's attention. Both seemed to reluctantly peel themselves away from each other. "Now I won't bore you with the fact that my men took an extraordinary long time to figure out whatever you did let alone to open a fairly simplistic door especially since they had the key."
"Even though you did..." Claire mumbled, hiding a smirk. Gray also hid a smirk but remained alert.
"Oh, you think this is funny?" the man in front of her squinted at her in disbelief. "You, darling, have some explaining to do. What the bloody hell are you doing in here, in what I gathered was a secured room? Clearly someone wants a one-way ticket back to the mainland." McGowan threw his hand in the air.
Claire stepped one step closer to the annoyed British. "Um, I wanted to make out with my boyfriend?" she scoffed. There was that word again, one in which she suspected would have to face sometime in the future in some form. "Why else would you initially find us out in the woods far from town? Course, neither of us knew we would be kidnapped let along being thrown in a room with security cameras and listening devices," the blonde emphasized the latter, crossing her arms.
"Why this particular room?"
"Cameras scattered throughout. Sophisticated advanced locking device. Conclusion: no cameras beyond the door. Perfect spot." She shyly yet stealthily glanced back at Gray, but the minute she made the slightest eye contact, she resumed her stare at McGowan. For now, she told herself to ignore certain looks from the young blacksmith. It certainly was not the time to figure that out.
"Cute story, my darling, and maybe I believe you and maybe I don't. But that is irrelevant." McGowan gestured at his trusty subordinate, Morris, along with two other men. "I'm afraid the pair of you will have to be spilt up."
At first, Gray attempted offering some resistance, but Claire shook her head, indicating to him not to so. He nodded in response as Morris and the two men led him away. "We were never guests here, were we," Claire turned her attention back to McGowan, glaring ever fiercely.
"Life is full of disappointments."
McGowan and one other of his men led the blonde back to the original room. The whole situation to her did not seem real. It was as if she had been dropped into a television script, with her being the star of the whole mess. She wanted to believe that the people here were good people, but as more events unfolded, that notion quickly dissipated.
So many different thoughts popped into her head. Amongst the top? That first file. She now understood there were very real consequences in refusing to help with whatever McGowan wanted. If the names of deceased intellectuals didn't convince her, the one page after her name and picture certainly did. McGowan had a backup, in case anything were to happen to her, and it freaked her out.
But there was one thing she could not wrap her head around. Why didn't all this happened earlier? Why did McGowan wait to even bring her to the complex, save the obvious of her coincidentally being near the complex? Perhaps they first started off in immediately kidnapping people from the mainland then went to a softer approach of luring them with a long forgotten ad of a farm. And perhaps that entirely never worked, thinking that they should try a different approach with the blonde. It was the only thing that made any sense to her – patience instead of brashness. So she concluded.
The three arrived to the room, however, no remarks were made. McGowan shoved her into the room then slammed the door, muttering to himself something which Claire could not make out. She scowled at the door thinking it would help somehow. But, as expected, it did not.
She sighed, thinking more of the island itself. The plans, her thoughts started, he is definitely looking for something and won't let anything get in his way, including the actual island itself. And if he makes a buck in the process... She slid her back against the wall near the door, coming to a sitting position on the floor. This was not something she had signed up for when accepting an ad for a farm in Mineral Town. "But what can I do?" she mumbled to herself, "Why me? I just wanted a farm..."
Suddenly, the power went out. Claire stood up, confused as to why it had. She thought about picking the lock again since the cameras were definitely not on, though it would be harder in the dark. It suddenly dawned on her that never once had she been frisked at any point. She found it odd but was grateful on the oversight. As she was about to pull her trusty wires out of her pocket again, the door jiggled then flew open.
"Gray!" her eyes nearly popped out.
"No time. We have to go!" he yanked her out of the room, securing his hand into hers. But he was not alone. Claire stared at the red-haired man in front of her, hesitant to saying anything. She gripped Gray's hand a little harder, her nerves pulsating through. "Morris is on our side."
"I've always been, ma'am," he tipped his head as if he wore a hat, "You're somewhat a legend around here. We never had no one do what you did. And please, call me Murrey. All my friends do."
The emergency lights flickered on, giving some life back to the complex. This time, the details surrounding Claire were irrelevant. She noted now and then some things – the drab corridors, the possible location of an elevator leading underground – but there was only one goal on her mind.
Get the hell out. And from there, wing it.
She was skeptical about Morris, considering she had suspected he was McGowan's right-hand man. However, the fact that Morris not only took out the two other men with Gray but also was the one responsible for why the corridors were dimly lit gave her a little assurance that maybe he really was on their side. She kept an eye on him, just in case.
"Alrighty, you two. Go through these doors and you outside," Morris stopped abruptly in front of a door which gave off a bit of a cool air.
"Why are you doing this?" Claire spoke up, not wanting to have that mystery strung over her head.
"Ma'am, in short, not all of us here signed up for McGowan's methods. But there's no time. Here," the ginger handed a device to Claire that he retrieved from his pocket, "you'll know what to do with this, and from there I will be able to contact you."
The blonde opened her mouth then quickly closed it, much how fishes react at times in the water.
"And one more thing, one of you is gonna have to punch me." But before he could further elaborate, Gray took it upon himself to surprise punch him. Stumbling, Morris massaged his face. He then looked at his hand, a little blood painted on it.
Gray cringed, "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to be hard. I thought if you didn't know it was coming-"
"No, no, it makes me wanna slap my mama." Gray raised his eyebrows, peering though his hat, as Claire blinked. "It's a good thing," Morris assured the pair somewhat chuckling, "now skidaddle."
The cool air, once annoying earlier in the day, was inviting now to the farmer. Afternoon shifted into the evening with the clouds still visible. The two of them made their way off the property, but as they did, Gray abruptly yanked her behind a truck. "Look," he said before Claire could protest. They both were crouching beside the vehicle.
As she peered behind the truck in the direction in question, she noticed men idly standing by a couple of cages while two dogs were being led into them. She had expected that these dogs would have been instead loosed considering how common dogs were used in tracking down people. Perhaps they don't know that there are escapees.
Both the farmer and blacksmith watched as the people, presumed scientists or trainers, returned back into the building. But then, a couple more men came outside, dressed similarly as the idle men. They talked with them, then all of them went back into the building. It was at that moment where Gray sprinted from behind the truck and proceeded to unlock the cages. In appreciation, the dogs licked Gray's hand. They then started to nudge Gray in a certain direction. "I think they want us to follow them," Claire noted as she made her way to the group. The two dogs immediately looked at Claire almost confirming what she had just said.
So they followed the dogs to one of the outer edges of the property. A chain link fence stared at the group. Claire surveyed the fence, her eyes noting how shoddy the construction seemed to be as if whoever made it was in a hurry. But something at the base of where the two dogs were digging caught her attention. A hole, and not just any hole – a hole that had been dug large enough for a dog to wiggle underneath barely. "Claire, climb over," Gray interrupted the blonde's thinking.
She then gave her attention to the top of the fence. It was strange to her that no barbwire had been attached to the top. Then again, it wasn't as if McGowan expected people to escape his clutches. Perhaps it was arrogance or just an oversight. No matter. She initially hesitated in the prospect of climbing the fence, not being so confident in her skill, but pushed through. By the time she had made it over, the dogs too were on the other side. "This explains Akira..." she said, opening and closing her hands.
"What brought that up?"
Claire gestured to the two excited dogs who were now encouraging them to move out away from the fence. Gray grunted in response. "I think these two here are friends of hers too. And perhaps one night she tried breaking them out but couldn't, narrowly escaping." Before her companion could comment on her theory, she crouched towards the base of the fence and pointed to the now bigger hole the other two dogs had made. "Makes sense and explains a lot of things like that one night."
Gray nodded as if agreement, watching the impatient dogs dart away. The two of them momentarily joined the dogs in their running.
Elsewhere, McGowan determined that he would bide his time with the blonde. "Captain Morris!"
"Yes sir?" the ginger quickly stood attention in front of his superior.
"Go to the mainland and give this to Black Robin. His eyes only."
"Sir?"
"Is that clear?" the dark-haired British growled.
"Yes sir..." Morris stared at the letter as he left the room.
McGowan muttered to himself as he walked around, "Everyone needs some sort of bloody incentive. For now, patience." He stopped his pacing then noticed a blotch on one of the nearby screens. "Now what headcase spilled coffee on this screen!? I work with idiots..."