"Somehow I feel like I am responsible for getting us all into this mess. And for that I am truly sorry, Lieutenant…"
Gifford's voice was breaking when she said that, her shoulders slumped as she leaned heavily against the metal pipe.
A tense silence had spread in the darkened room since Chong left, as they both pondered on the implications of the manic doctor's words, stubbornly clinging onto the hope that help would arrive before it was too late.
"If it wasn't you, it would have been somebody else…", Mike mumbled in return, his eyes drifting back over to his unconscious partner, the unsettling stillness coming from Steve's corner only adding to his nervousness.
"You said you met this man before? And you lived to tell the tale?"
"Barely so, but yes.", he countered and clenched his jaws at the unwelcome memories returning with a vengeance, "He was kidnapping people and selling their organs on the black market a few years ago. Stephen and I…we stumbled across his operation over near Clear Lake. He had me strapped on the operating table and was ready to kill me when one of his men had a change of heart and helped us escape. Chong was the only one who made it out of that situation alive and he disappeared into the underground right after. We couldn't find him no matter how hard we tried. That was until now."
"Oh my god…I can't even begin to imagine.", Gifford countered and held her free hand in front of her mouth, "Then again, I can't imagine half the stuff you guys go through and how it affects you after a while. You have a difficult job on your hands, Lieutenant. And please, do call me Claire. I don't think this is a place where formalities are needed."
At Gifford's creepy affinity once again bubbling to the surface, Mike raised a skeptical eyebrow. Part of him didn't feel like hashing out the newspaper mess of the past few months in the semi-darkness of some godforsaken storage facility, the other part lost the need to care a long time ago.
"Depending on the outcome of this…this situation, I would hope that you will find the common sense to…to keep anything pertaining to this case out of the papers. That includes your presumed insights into our minds, Claire."
Glancing up at him for a fleeting moment, the reporter nodded obediently, then bit her lip for many long moments.
"You know, I never meant for any of my writing to offend you, Lieutenant.", she then countered and shrugged, "If anything, it was an homage to you guys, the ehm…the partnership and friendship you share. The professional and brilliant ways with which you conduct an investigation. The gentle kindness and compassion you show to those you care for. That's hard to find these days, and should be used as an example for others to follow."
With a fervent headshake, Mike chuckled, his only way to deal with the ridiculous irony of all this.
"Rest assured that neither Steve nor I aspire to be some sort of role model for every lost soul looking for a guiding light in the San Francisco Bay Area. We're professionals. We have a job to do out there.", he countered brusquely, "You crossed the line one too many times with both of us, sticking your nose into business that wasn't yours and then putting it out into the open for the whole town to read. You took a cheap shot at something…something special and tried to turn it into your own homemade fantasy. And once your idea took off, you kept creeping closer and closer toward that line you shouldn't have crossed. So please don't expect a thank you letter from either one of us."
Much to his surprise, Gifford started to whimper, then cry, using her free hand to shield her face from him.
Not the least bit interested in comforting her at this point, Mike scoffed, once again burying his agitation with that situation under a layer of professionalism, then focused back on his still partner, hoping to figure out a way to get all of them out of here safely.
Even if he were to manage to open the ropes, Chong had been right about one thing; dragging Steve's limp 150lb frame through the woods while being pursued would be a challenge to say the least.
Then again, perhaps that was the idea behind all this; a sick game played by a sick man to do nothing but feed on his pathological need for control.
Feeling a shudder run down his spine, Mike put the thought away for the time being, trying to focus on one problem at a time.
"I assure you I never meant any harm, Lieutenant.", Gifford pleaded again, having calmed down after her emotional outbreak, "Of all the people I studied over the years, you and Inspector Keller have touched my heart in ways I couldn't imagine before. Your…your humanity and kindness are unlike anything I have come across in this business over the past twenty years. So, I grew intrigued, wanted to learn what kind of person it would take to be so genuinely giving and caring as you two are. If you want to condemn me for my curiosity go ahead. I did what I felt was best, which was to highlight your benevolent character to a large audience, people who thirst for role models that give them hope and show them that there's a different way and that not all law enforcement is bad. I wish I could show you all the letters and phone calls I received in response, people who had all but given up on humanity and thanks to you are finding hope again."
"Our private lives should have never played a role in this and you know it.", Mike argued back, growing sick and tired of the circular conversation that didn't seem to lead anywhere.
"I am sorry. I…I shouldn't have overstepped that boundary. It was just…I grew so intrigued with my own research, downright addicted that…that I forgot to set limits. I never meant any harm. I apologize if I offended you in any way."
"Let's just worry about getting out of here for now…"
"Tell me what the plan is and I will try my best to help out."
Gifford's eagerness in the face of their current situation served to only eat away at his nerves further, making him miss his partner's quiet give-and-take dearly.
"First of all, we need to get out of these restraints.", Mike grunted between gritted teeth, trying once again to loosen the knot to no avail, "Then we need to figure out a way to unlock this door. Oh, and we need to get Steve to wake up too. If there's anything in your media magic hat that could help us, now would be the time."
Beneath the swollen black eye, Mike could see Gifford's glance settling on the young Inspector, then trace the IV line all the way up to the bottle.
"I tried every which way possible to get out of this rope but my fingers just aren't strong enough…", she said before pointing at Steve, "But I think I might know of a way to stop this crazy doctor from keeping him sedated."