What You See...

Chapter Five
KeyGun Saves the Day

It wasn't so bad… he hadn't seen another soul all evening, which meant someone was doing his job. Or maybe aliens had come and killed everyone when he wasn't looking.

Whichever worked.

He wandered back towards reception, content in his rounds. There he stopped. He had heard typing, and assumed it was one of the secretaries. However, the man at the desk hardly qualified as a secretary. Gray narrowed his eyes; Neil wasn't supposed to have access to the computers – none of the security personnel were.

So he stepped up, placed his hands on his hips, and asked as politely as possible, "What do you think you're doing?" Neil startled, but turned to look at him nonetheless. There was a long silence, before Neil replied.

"Playing solitaire?" Had it not been for the questioning tone, or had he not seen the monitor clearly from where he stood, Gray might not have questioned that.

"Oh, really?"

Neil shrugged, swiveling in his chair slightly. Without warning, he sprung from his seat, scrambled over the desk and fell heavily to the other side. He was quite far ahead by the time Gray got around the furniture and took chase.

---

Gray scowled. He had seen Neil turn this corner, but the hall was empty. He stalked down the corridor, and turned his head at the precise second to see a shadow move over a slightly opened door.

Since that was the only open door in the hall, and since he doubted his Neil could have made it to the end of the hall without his seeing him, he crept through the door as quietly as he could. The door screeched, and he winced. The only other person in the broom closet had his full attention, and was staring at him with over-emotional eyes.

Impulsive hesitation whether it was his job to deal with this or investigate the other struck, and Gray cursed under his breath; yet still spoke too soon. The door behind him closed suddenly, pushing him forward and against Aki.

Apologizing – to himself mostly – he tried to open the locked door without any success. Nonplussed, he tried more desperately, and to no avail.

---

Neil thanked whatever luck he had; hiding behind the door had been a last resort, and he'd been quite sure that he would be caught. It didn't help too much, seeing as the situation still existed, but it gave him a reprieve.

Backing away from the threat, he startled as he hit a wall. He noticed that a few feet to the left was an adjoining corridor. He rushed around the corner it provided, and ran straight into Ryan. Out of surprise, he jumped, chirped, and did a little dance. Ryan watched motionless, and waited until the display was over to ask, "Should I ask what that was about?"

"I got found out," Neil squirmed at the suddenly exasperated expression that crossed his friends face, and he attempted to correct the predicament, "It's okay; everything's all right… I locked him in the closet!" He grinned at his own cleverness.

Ryan sighed. It was no wonder… no wonder at all, "Let him out."

"What? Why?" Neil cringed and his smile faded to something more fearful.

"Because I said so," his accomplice replied, and pointed to the door.

"But I don't have the key!"

---

Jane strolled at a leisurely pace, content to nibble ever daintily at her cherry liquorice.

She'd been surprised to discover a candy stocked vending machine, as strangely placed as it was; but regardless reordered this as only, 'second worst assignment ever,' because of it. For if chocolate was God, cherry liquorice was king.

Coming to the intersection of hallways, she stopped, noticing the strange goings on just around the corner.

"Look, someone will find him, okay?" Neil whined, and hit the door. Aside from the strike, the door reverberated again, causing him to inch away slowly.

"We're here to help people, Neil," Ryan reminded him, trying his best to be a calm, understanding person. On the outside, he was doing quite well.

"You're not doing a very good job," Neil mumbled, looking over his shoulder, "Oh, hi Jane." She only blinked at him, and he went back to staring at the doorframe.

"He locked the night watchman in the closet; one of the inmates is with him," Ryan explained at that oh, so inquisitive look the woman gave him, "She has the key, and the door is locked."

"Why doesn't he just unlock it from the inside?" Jane asked skeptically. It wasn't that hard to figure out….

"We don't think he knows, and we don't want to shout and call attention to ourselves…. Neil got himself caught."

"That figures," she replied, "Nice going."

"Thank you," Neil smiled up at the door handle, "I try. Hard in fact."

"I'll be right back," Jane stated in a 'don't go anywhere,' tone. When she returned, she had with her a device that Neil could only describe as a cross between a stable gun and a… something he wasn't quite sure. She fit it to the lock, and soon after the door was opened.

Ryan was not so enthused.

"Where did you get that?" he demanded, startling both his coconspirators by behavior.

"Field office," Jane said as he confiscated the thing, "I was going to give it back…."

---

Gray tried the door every two minutes. It didn't give in. To his remaining sanity, he wished it would give in. If he only he could talk to it, explain to it the necessity to escape….

And then the door opened, just like that. His heart leapt for joy, and his body leapt for the freedom presented.

He straightened himself out in presentation to those outside. Feigning as much anger as he could, he glared at Neil, who tried desperately to hide behind Ryan. But to no avail, for the larger man kept moving.

"I will let you off," Gray bargained, "If you deal with her." He motioned to the small storeroom, without necessity, for Neil was willing to agree to anything that freed him from the suspicion he'd placed himself in.

"Deal."

Gray wandered off optimistically happy about being out of that godforsaken closet.