Jack
Jack shivered uncontrollably. Think warm, he thought miserably. He tried to imagine he was in the Bahamas, on the beach, but it took too much effort to maintain the illusion. Footsteps again. He rolled over and swore. Cuvee. The pimp that had assigned Irina Derevko to him, accompanied by two guards, was approaching his cell. The door creaked open and Cuvee entered. Cuvee was grinning wolfishly.
"Hello, Jack. Pleasure to see you again. Are they keeping you comfortable?"
Jack said impassively, "I was going to talk to the concierge about getting a different view. The one I've got now (looking directly at Cuvee) could certainly be improved."
Cuvee's face darkened. He gestured to the guards to lift Jack up, intent on settling some of his old scores, when his phone started ringing impatiently.
"What is it?" he snarled into the phone. "What! Hold her there till I get there."
He looked at Jack, suspended between the two guards. "We'll talk later" he said, in a voice that indicated that only one of them would enjoy the conversation. He wheeled out of the cell and headed back to the central core.
Sydney
Great plan, she thought to herself. Now she might lose both parents. She was poised with the "GOFER", the US Army's newest tunneling device, on the edge of the woods. It could tunnel underground at a speed of 10 yards per minute, leaving a fast-sealing epoxy in its wake to strengthen and support the tunnel created. The plan, if you could call it that, was for her mother to surrender herself to Cuvee and somehow end up in the same cell as her father. She would then activate a signaling device which would allow Sydney to pinpoint where they were in the complex so that she could tunnel down to them. As her mother had explained, all the prisoner cells were on the perimeter. All she would need to do was to pierce the external wall, load up her parents, and reverse the GOFER back to its original starting point.
"Mom!" Sydney had argued. "He'll kill you on sight after what you did to him last time."
"Sydney, things are never black and white in our business. Cuvee and I have a long history. I am hoping I can at least pique his curiosity about my current activities before he acts rashly. Besides - I am more likely than you to talk him into getting me in the same cell as your father. That's critical to the plan."
"Mom, why are you doing this?"
"To keep you from doing something unconscionably foolish."
"Nothing to do with dad?" Sydney watched her closely.
"Will you stand there all day asking questions? Or are you going to get me out of here?" responded her mother, refusing to be drawn.
Irina
Irina stood in the guard shack, hands bound, as Cuvee strode into the room. She smiled at him - a coy, 'we're both grownups' here smile. Cuvee stopped, and smiled back. He walked up to her and caressed her hair. Cupping her chin in his hand, he lent down and kissed her forcefully. He stepped back, smiled again, then quickly backhanded her with a blow that lifted her off her feet and left her in a heap against the wall. "Bitch! You thought you could come crawling back again?" He turned to one of the guards. "Give me your gun." He pointed it at her head. Irina looked back without flinching. Suddenly, the whine of a wheelchair could be heard. Cuvee turned his head. "Ah, you've arrived. I am just finishing up here, then we can get to business." S&G looked curiously from Cuvee to Irina. "A moment. If I am not mistaken, I believe she would be very helpful to me during the interrogation." Cuvee, his anger cooling, looked over at Irina. "Maybe you're right. I can wait." He grinned evilly at Irina, then spoke to the guards. "Take her down to Bristow's cell." The 2 guards leaned down to pick her up. Great plan, she sighed to herself.
Jack shivered uncontrollably. Think warm, he thought miserably. He tried to imagine he was in the Bahamas, on the beach, but it took too much effort to maintain the illusion. Footsteps again. He rolled over and swore. Cuvee. The pimp that had assigned Irina Derevko to him, accompanied by two guards, was approaching his cell. The door creaked open and Cuvee entered. Cuvee was grinning wolfishly.
"Hello, Jack. Pleasure to see you again. Are they keeping you comfortable?"
Jack said impassively, "I was going to talk to the concierge about getting a different view. The one I've got now (looking directly at Cuvee) could certainly be improved."
Cuvee's face darkened. He gestured to the guards to lift Jack up, intent on settling some of his old scores, when his phone started ringing impatiently.
"What is it?" he snarled into the phone. "What! Hold her there till I get there."
He looked at Jack, suspended between the two guards. "We'll talk later" he said, in a voice that indicated that only one of them would enjoy the conversation. He wheeled out of the cell and headed back to the central core.
Sydney
Great plan, she thought to herself. Now she might lose both parents. She was poised with the "GOFER", the US Army's newest tunneling device, on the edge of the woods. It could tunnel underground at a speed of 10 yards per minute, leaving a fast-sealing epoxy in its wake to strengthen and support the tunnel created. The plan, if you could call it that, was for her mother to surrender herself to Cuvee and somehow end up in the same cell as her father. She would then activate a signaling device which would allow Sydney to pinpoint where they were in the complex so that she could tunnel down to them. As her mother had explained, all the prisoner cells were on the perimeter. All she would need to do was to pierce the external wall, load up her parents, and reverse the GOFER back to its original starting point.
"Mom!" Sydney had argued. "He'll kill you on sight after what you did to him last time."
"Sydney, things are never black and white in our business. Cuvee and I have a long history. I am hoping I can at least pique his curiosity about my current activities before he acts rashly. Besides - I am more likely than you to talk him into getting me in the same cell as your father. That's critical to the plan."
"Mom, why are you doing this?"
"To keep you from doing something unconscionably foolish."
"Nothing to do with dad?" Sydney watched her closely.
"Will you stand there all day asking questions? Or are you going to get me out of here?" responded her mother, refusing to be drawn.
Irina
Irina stood in the guard shack, hands bound, as Cuvee strode into the room. She smiled at him - a coy, 'we're both grownups' here smile. Cuvee stopped, and smiled back. He walked up to her and caressed her hair. Cupping her chin in his hand, he lent down and kissed her forcefully. He stepped back, smiled again, then quickly backhanded her with a blow that lifted her off her feet and left her in a heap against the wall. "Bitch! You thought you could come crawling back again?" He turned to one of the guards. "Give me your gun." He pointed it at her head. Irina looked back without flinching. Suddenly, the whine of a wheelchair could be heard. Cuvee turned his head. "Ah, you've arrived. I am just finishing up here, then we can get to business." S&G looked curiously from Cuvee to Irina. "A moment. If I am not mistaken, I believe she would be very helpful to me during the interrogation." Cuvee, his anger cooling, looked over at Irina. "Maybe you're right. I can wait." He grinned evilly at Irina, then spoke to the guards. "Take her down to Bristow's cell." The 2 guards leaned down to pick her up. Great plan, she sighed to herself.