What You See...

Chapter Seven
Joint Endeavor

"You're FBI?"

Gray immediately regretted asking. Not only had his wanton question bring him under attention, Jane saw fit to stare at him with the blatant, disgusted expression of, you're a useless and moronic excuse for a human being. Neil, meanwhile, managed to mingle more hurt and anger in one look than he ever had in the two weeks Gray had known him, along with the aforementioned, you're a useless and moronic excuse for a human being expression.

"No," Neil snapped, "They're FBI."

Gray snuck a surprised glance at Ryan – he never would have suspected the quiet, unassuming man to be… well… suspicious.

"… I'm with the Agency. They're different, you know!"

"Yeah," Jane agreed, "We're better."

Which launched an argument, spanning topics from salary to general statistics.

"You were the one who lost it!"

This switched the topic, and a second, equally time consuming quarrel broke out over what had to be done over the loss of Neil's wallet, along with the equally perplexing and entwined fact that they had, in fact, royally screwed up.

"Wonderful…"

Thus came the end of the second argument, this one having listed possible results, and discrediting every solution that came to light moments after conception.

Listening and often treated as though he wasn't there, Gray could only wait, and hope for an opportune escape. Aki had, time and again, proven how easy that could be. All he had to do was… well, he tried letting her go; then, with a convenient excuse to chase after her, "disappear" around the first corner, never to be seen again.

She was, unfortunately, curled asleep on his lap. Not only not providing a lack of escape, but also hindering it by pinning him to the seat.

He tried to remember when life had gone from 'unbearable,' to 'sheer hell.' When he'd come back to awareness, after deciding upon the twelfth of November, he uncomfortably found himself as the center of attention.

"Would she be enough?"

Oh, How self-centered could he be? Relieved, Gray went back to considering his escape.

"Not alone… but maybe with the old man."

"Hate to point this out, but he's back at the hospital."

Any minute now, his brilliant mind would come up with a way out.

"So? We go get him."

Any minute now…

"But we can't just saunter back in and demand 'one old man, please; preferably the one that is your downfall.'"

"Well-"

"And ask for fries with that, to make it realistic, 'cause it wouldn't work."

In his mind, Gray saw the perfect plan. Not only one that would save him from this nightmare, but one that would turn his life around completely. One that would make anew the waste he had created of existence. It was the most brilliant-

"We have a decoy."

Gray once again became aware of all attention on him, and his perfect plan turned to dust.

---

He didn't know how he got himself into this. He doubted he had very much to do with it at all. But he walked, step after step, to the administrator's office.

All he had to do was make a little report. That was it. One little report.

Tell the truth, they said; It will be easy, they said… He didn't believe a word of it.

He shuddered under the darkness of the room – for whatever reason, the curtains were drawn, and a single lamp did nothing to alleviate the evil atmosphere.

Elliott was cracked, and of that there had never been a question.

So, scared out of his wits, he blurted out everything he knew – which was nothing… other than the whole thermos incident, the FBI/CIA co-venture of which he knew nothing more, and a little bit of nonsense brought about by sleep deprivation and fear.

Elliott took it all as hard truth, and seemed especially interested in the last bit.

Gray answered the questions as best he could: no, he hadn't taken down the address of the thermos wielding maniac. Yes, Dimitri did scream like a little girl. Yes, really. Yes… really. No, he didn't know why the feds were investigating the asylum. No, he wasn't quite sure when the light purple bunny blossom lipstick would be on the market. Yes, he'd be sure to look into it when he had a spare moment. No, he didn't know what this means.

And so forth.

Petrified, Gray barely neglected the last bit of the plan. Not his glorious plan, but the one imposed upon him by the damnable people who had hijacked his life and he had no will to fight back against. After all, if they knew about his parking tickets….

"Sir, if that would be all, I'll just check up on the woman before going home for today," He shuddered. It was cold in this office!

"Why?" Elliott pouted; unrelated, the multi-personaed person indiscriminately went through his desk behind him.

"Okay, I'll just go home, then…"

"No!" Gray jumped at the volume of his boss's voice, but quickly stilled as the seething director came close to him. Rather, came very close to him, "I want you to check up on the woman before you go home today. Can't be too careful, after all."

Gray hastily dismissed himself.

Behind the desk, the lunatic suddenly hunched, and stood to approach Elliott.

"Shall I… take his blood, massster?" he hissed, staring after Gray. Elliott shook his head.

"No, he's no danger. But I do need to make a phone call, if you don't mind."

"But of course, massster." Solid in his new personality, the man ambled out of the office amid a jingle of keys.

---

Gray had hurried back to Aki's cell. He only realized, upon his arrival, that this was his best chance for escape yet.

Except that now everyone was staring at him expectantly.

Damn.

And they continued staring, until Ryan finally thought fit to clear his throat and ask.

"Well?"

Gray could only cheep, "I think he bought it."

"Good!"

They went back to what they had been doing – namely packing Aki's things. While he wondered about that, he remembered, with a start, no less, that maybe escape was still an option.

As he was sneaking out, Neil was sneaking in; and Gray was foiled yet again.

"Where you think you're going?"

"Um," Gray thought fast, but it didn't work like it should have, "Nowhere."

"Oh," Neil gave him not a second glance. Unfortunately, he was still betwixt Gray and the exit, and the guard could only watch, helpless, as the damn… fraud! sought the attention of his peers.

A slight address; a second, slightly firmer cry for audience; and a final, shrill whistle later deemed exactly nothing in effect.

He stared upwards, as though willing divine inspiration. When that inspiration hit, he approached it with all the willingness of a suicide wish. With quiet resignation, he took a deep breath and said, calmly and near silence, "John Hoover was a crossdressing freak."

That turned a few heads, and raised Dr. Sid's eyebrows.

"Now that you're listening… you may want to know, before your unlawful murder plans come to fruition," Neil refused to be backed into a corner over the matter, but did back slightly towards the wall for safe measure, "Someone let the loonies out of the bin."