Daddy's Girls: Chapter 16
Author's Note: For those of you paying attention, we've managed to surpass War Fields in the number of chapters written in this story so far, and there's still a few more to come! :) Please keep reading and reviewing!
Annie surprised herself as to how much she could actually take before reaching her breaking point. She was long past the point where she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry for her father, but she kept walking down the corridors that no doubt lead to Contra World's dungeons. And that was mainly because she wasn't about to show the guards escorting her any form of weaknesses that they could exploit. If anything, she tried to force her muddled mind to exploit the fact that the guards were under orders to leave her alone, but to no avail. It could only repeat to her the horrors that awaited her when Miles Mayhem decided what her fate would be…Only when the guards had shoved her into a cell and stalked away, reuniting her with Buddy, Roxy, and Jess, did Annie allow herself to lose any and all composure she had managed to retain.
"Annie?"
Jess started to get up to comfort her long time friend and make sure she was okay, but Buddy held a restraining arm out as he got a good look at Annie's pale features and haunted eyes. Whatever had happened had scared her to death; she was white as a sheet, and he wasn't going to risk Jess or Roxy upsetting a very delicate balance.
Satisfied Jess was going to stay where she was, Buddy got up and started walking toward her, asking gently, "Annie, what happened?"
Annie backed up against the cell door and stared at him like he was the devil incarnate. "You knew…didn't you? You knew…" she accused shakily as she started to cry.
"Annie…" Buddy kept his voice even and soft as he reached for her hand, "What did they tell you?"
"That I…" Her tears fell harder as she looked into his concerned brown eyes, "…that I should've…" She couldn't look him in the eye any longer, so she let her eyes drift to Jess sitting in the corner looking as frightened as she felt. She felt the room start to spin when her eyes locked onto Roxanne sitting in the other corner, and the revelation of what might have been hit her fully. "…I could have been you…" Annie muttered to Roxanne before her legs gave out completely and the room went dark.
Buddy managed to catch her just before her head hit the ground. He fell to his knees with Annie hanging limply in his arms and pushed her hair out of her eyes. He knew she couldn't hear him, but he felt the need to say anyway, "I'm not going to let that happen."
He lifted her up and settled back against the far wall with Annie's head cradled in his lap, trying to give her what small amount of comfort he could at the harsh revelation she'd experienced. The room remained silent for a few minutes before Jess got the courage to speak up.
"Buddy?" she asked him softly. "What did she mean about you knowing something?"
"Yeah," Roxy added, "and 'I could have been you?' What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Buddy sighed, unsure if he was willing to share with them what he and Brad had never been able to tell Annie herself. But he knew that the girls would persist in asking, so he steeled himself and replied, "One of Contra World's rules is that children born into the organization stay there. Meaning that if Vanessa hadn't abandoned Annie and left her with Brad, she'd probably be standing on the other side of that cell door. Brad and I could never bring ourselves to tell her that, but somebody else obviously did." He paused, then added in his most threatening tone, "What I just said stays between us, got it? And if I ever hear either one of you throw this in her face, jokingly," he looked pointedly at Jess, "or not," he turned the same look on Roxanne, "I will come down on you like a ton of bricks. Am I making myself clear?"
"Crystal," Jess affirmed.
Buddy glared at Roxanne until she provided a reluctant answer of, "Perfectly."
"Good. Then let's start figuring out a way out of here."
It was late afternoon, when a helicopter set down at Contra World's Mexican Headquarters. Jon Mayhem, who was still dressed in back and wearing a heavy trench coat even in the 100-degree heat, stepped out carrying a metal briefcase.
"Where have you been?" His father rushed out of the compound, "I almost though you took the goods and sold it to the next highest bidder!"
He smirked as if the idea had crossed his mind, "We'll you did teach me to keep my options open, but I was delayed due to an information leak. I couldn't risk the import taking our planned transportation route."
"The truck got here just fine."
"With all the goods intact?" He raised a questionable brow.
Miles Mayhem laugh, "Yes…I do have to say you sure know how to pack a surprise boy."
"Yes, that was just an unexpected bonus I happened to run into. I figured you'd get a kick out of it."
"You should consider how that red head could advance your career," Mayhem suggested to Jon. "The Warfields have a strong terrorist bloodline, a union with ours could create the perfect soldier."
Jon smirked at his father, dismissing the idea immediately. "I have someone else in mind to help advance my career, and I'd rather not catch anything from whatever it is Vanessa's been sleeping with."
Mayhem chuckled before becoming more serious. "So did you find out where the leak came from?"
"No, I let those ridiculous petty soldiers handle that man's interrogation, and they failed to send the proper message. I plan to use more direct measures to get my point across," Jon joked slightly. "If you excuse me father, I have work to do."
Jon Mayhem made his way impatiently through the compound eager to get to work. His whole life revolved around being a negotiator for Contra World, but he had other objectives in mind. One day he'd gain enough stature and authority to take over the entire terrorist network and then the world. He hoped to steal his father's dream right from under him, if the man manages not to croak by then.
Buddy paced back'n forth in the cell trying to figure out the best strategy to escape, but no matter how many times he devised a plan he'd always ended up back at square one. Annie was still sleeping peacefully on the ground curled up in a ball. Jess sat next to Annie impatiently awaiting her friend to wake up. If anything she wanted to cheer her up, even if they were currently in a dump. Roxanne remained her in corner, occasionally locking eyes with Buddy. He could tell she was thinking long and hard about escaping, but she couldn't come up with anything either. All eyes shifted towards the Dungeon entrance as three people entered.
"Well did we enjoy the trip?" Jon asked in a polite friendly tone.
Annie's eyes snapped open the moment she heard the unfamiliar voice. She jerked upright at complete military attention, wondering if Mayhem had already decided her fate. Roxanne also reacted to the new face. She stood up crossing her arms, as if she wasn't impressed by his hospitality.
"I would say it could have been better," Buddy remarked in a serious point blank tone.
Jon opened the cell and locked his cold eyes with Buddy, "You and me are going for a little chat. If you don't want certain gals who don't have protection to meet an untimely fate, I suggest you come quietly."
Buddy could see Jon was throwing his eyes in Jess's direction, "Alright just don't hurt them." He willingly stepped out of the cell and let the guards apprehend him.
"Buddy! Don't go!" Jess pleaded.
"It's alright Jess. Take care of Annie."
"Yes Jess," Jon gave her a crooked smile, "We wouldn't want you to waste your strength on a dead man now would we?" Jess responded back with anger flaring in her eyes, but she knew better then to open her mouth.
His eyes then drifted over to the red head. She attempted not to show her fear, but it was clear she was scared of something. Annie took a slight peak into his eyes and felt like she could read his mind, it was almost like he was saying, "Yeah, I know who you are but big deal I'm interested in bigger fish."
He then turned his full-undivided attention to Roxanne. She stood there unafraid of his presence, and her attitude clearly showed that she didn't give a damn who he was or what he was capable of doing. "Roxy…Roxy…Roxy," He mimicked in a soft tone, as his eyes slowly scrolled her from top to bottom, "its definitely been awhile."
His advance didn't bother her one bit, in fact she rolled her eyes, "Spare me the antics and get the hell out of my cell. And by the way don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."
Jon smiled smitten, "Still as spunky as ever." But that smile quickly drifted from his face, "You know…I don't appreciate it when somebody gives me that sort of disrespect. In fact…" Instead of finishing his sentence, he caught her off guard by violently slamming her entire body up against the cell wall.
"YOU PROMISE NOT TO HURT THEM!" Buddy shouted, but he quickly closed his mouth as one of the guards slammed his fist into his tender gut. He doubled over in pain, but what made it worst was realizing he couldn't do anything to help her.
Roxanne locked her gaze into his cold eyes still not showing any signs of fear, even after he attempted to shatter her nerves. She could hear his inner laughter mocking her, for her stern attempt to show bravery. He pinned her up against the wall, by leaning his body against hers. His voice suddenly changed from harsh to overly friendly, "I've heard so much about you, and I've been eagerly awaiting our paths to cross again, cause your not like other women.
"Go flatter yourself." She sharply remarked with disgust.
Jon moved his lips over her ear and started whispering. Roxanne was completely stunned by the words coming out of his mouth, that her entire face turned bright red. Her body jerked and struggled to break free, but it was clear he wasn't going to let her go until he finished. She closed her eyes wishing his words would go through one ear and out the other, but she couldn't flush them from her thoughts. Annie and Jess sat there wondering what he could be telling her to make her that uncomfortable.
After a few minutes, he was satisfied with the desired effects. As he moved off of her, she quietly slid down the side of the wall feeling like she had been severely violated. "You don't have to give me an answer now, later will do just fine," He then headed out of the cell giving none of the girls a second glance and disappeared with Buddy.
Jess crawled over next to Roxanne, "What did he tell you?"
"I don't want to talk about," She diverted her gaze to the floor.
"It will at least make you feel better, if you get it out of your system," Jess insisted.
Roxanne pushed her away lightly, "Yeah well it's not something I want to share with the group. K? If you need to pamper somebody, do it to Annie cause I'm not gonna cry my eyes out."
Annie head jerked with anger at Roxanne's outburst, "How dare you even accuse me of crying!"
"You don't see my head in Buddy's lap asking to be babied."
Jess turned in time to see what she could have swore was a bolt of lighting pass through Annie's eyes, and she watched her friend's expression turn from terrified to vicious in a matter of seconds. Annie looked like a cat ready to pounce on her prey, and if Jess didn't do something, her prey was going to be Roxanne.
"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!" Jess shouted upset. Of all the times to lose Buddy it has to be now. "We don't even know if Buddy is going to come back, and all you two are doing is fighting. How is that going to help us get out of here?"
The two girls looked at Jess already knowing she was telling the truth. The sparks died down as Annie and Roxy quietly sat in separate corners contemplating the knowledge that was passed through their ears.
