Chapter 18.
.3.48pm.
Ten minutes later Otto's eyes brightened as he heard the roar of an engine that could only belong to a Lotus. A couple of the crew ran out to the drive to get a closer look at the sexy lady as Memphis and Sway walked through the garage door, Memphis scanning the room quickly, a mental register running through his mind. Sway dumped a shopping bag on the floor and Rachel raised her eyebrows.
"Did you change!?" She chuckled.
Sway simply flashed a small grin and sat down next to her as the others returned to their seats muttering words of appreciation and awe for the beautifully crafted Faith.
Memphis looked over at Otto. "Still no Sphinx?"
He shook his head.
"Shit." Cursed Memphis "He should be back by now."
***
.3.50pm.
Sphinx had blacked out again and awoke to find himself tied to a chair, obviously inside the ominous looking breezeblock building. He kept his eyes shut, wanting more time to figure out what he was up against and what the hell he was going to do about it. He identified five separate voices, one of these, belonging to Johnny B.
"What are you brain-dead asshole!" He shouted at one of the other men. "Of the ten people in that crew that you could have gotten me, you went and brought me the one who can't fuckin' speak!"
"We-" One of the others tried to defend their actions.
"Shut the hell up Smithy I couldn't give a damn! Jesus! Fuckin' brain-dead the lot of you!"
"We can still use him Johnny B." Someone else piped up. "For barterin' and shit."
"We can still use him." Mimicked Johnny in a whiney voice "Yes, asshole, but we could have used one of the ones THAT COULD FUCKIN' SPEAK to get some info out of them as well! Shit! Why didn't you get his girl? I asked you to get her!"
"There's two girls boss." Muttered Smithy "We didn't know which one she was."
"Does it fucking matter! At least they can speak! Jesus. Assholes! She the only one with fucking blonde dreds."
"Sorry Jonny." They all muttered in unison.
"Oh shut the hell up and just search him aiight." Snapped Johnny with an exasperated sigh, and Sphinx heard what sounded like him sinking down into a chair.
Footsteps came towards him and someone slapped him sharply around the face.
"Oi! Big man. Wake up asshole."
Sphinx shook his head to clear the stars now dancing behind his eyelids and slowly raised his gaze to stare menacingly into the face of a short, stocky man who couldn't have been older than twenty.
"Ah so you's awake sleeping beauty!" He said brightly. Some of the others chuckled and the short man, who by the sound of his voice was Smithy, stepped back.
"I's goin' to search you now dude, but don't go getting' any funny ideas coz I don't swing that way OK." The crew laughed again, moronically, and Johnny's voice echoed from across the room, where Sphinx noticed he was, as he had suspected, sat in a battered old armchair.
"Just fucking do it will you Smithy!"
"Aiight aiight! Chill dude." Smithy muttered and he reached forwards to put his hand in Sphinx's left pocket. He rummaged around for a moment and then retracted sharply with a yelp, stumbling backwards into one of his crew.
"Holy Shit!" He shouted as he flung something across the room. "What the fucks wrong with you!" He yelled at Sphinx as Johnny B leapt from his chair and came running over to see what the commotion was about.
"What?" He barked at Smithy.
"Damn sick bastard's got dead fuckin' rats in his pockets man!" Smithy answered shaking his hand violently "Damn teeth got in my hand. What if I've got rabies or sumthin'!?" He pointed over at the large gray rat that now rested on the floor by the door, and they all took cautious a step back from Sphinx who was starting at them, deadpan.
"Eeew! You're sick dude." Someone retorted.
"Rabies wont make no difference to you anyhow." Snapped Johnny. "Polis, get rid of that will you." He barked at one of the larger men, "And you three get your asses over here, we need to decide what we're gonna do with him. He might not be able to talk, but he sure as hell aint got no problem hearin'. Aint that right freak?" He addressed Sphinx before he turned away followed to the back of the room by his cronies. Sphinx simply blinked at him, as realization flooded over him.
In their haste to get rid of the rat, they hadn't checked Sphinx;'s right pocket, in which sat his receiver, set on mute, so they would never know it was there. He began to pull at the ropes binding his hands behind the chair. All he needed to do was create enough give to get his hand to his pocket and he could set his plan into action.
***
.3.55pm.
Sway sat ridged next to Rachel, her jaw set as she watched Memphis pacing around the room, and listened to the others as they loudly discussed ways of finding their missing crew member.
Memphis caught her eye and paused for a second to look at her, guilt predominant on his features. The muscles in his jaw twitched and he turned away to continue his pacing. Sway let out a shaky breath and looked down at the floor, her hands hanging limply off her knees. This was exactly what they didn't want to happen, what they didn't need. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of relief, when she felt a hand lightly resting on top of her own. She looked sideways at Rachel who sat gazing intently at the cigarette in her other hand, before raising it to her lips and giving Sway a fleeting glance of reassurance.
***
.3.59pm.
Sphinx bent his arm around a fraction of an inch further so that he could reach into his pocket. He groped around for a second, and just when he thought his arm was going to break from being forced into this unnatural angle, his fingers closed around the cold solid lump of his receiver. Beads of sweat appeared at his temples as he fumbled with it and eventually managed to push down the talk button and flick on the hold switch.
Gently he eased his hand out of his pocket and back behind his back where he flexed and relaxed it repeatedly trying to get the circulation re- pumping. Johnny's crew huddled around him in the far corner of the room, there backs to him, totally oblivious to the fact that Sphinx's own crew could now hear every whisper as well as he could.
***
.4.02pm.
Sway still sat in the same place watching Memphis. The talking around her had become louder in desperation and they were starting to bicker.
"Its Johnny B man, I'm telling you." Said Freb shaking his head.
"Yeah!" Snapped Kip "I think we'd gathered that boy genius!"
"I was only trying to help!" He retaliated and Tumbler cut in to continue the argument.
Sway tipped her head back again, exasperated.
That's when she heard it.
A small noise from somewhere next to her. She snapped her head up and looked down. There was noting there. She listened a little harder, and heard it again, this time sure it was not a figment of her imagination. It sounded like someone clearing their throat and she realized that it was coming from her pocket.
She quickly whipped out her receiver and held it to her ear, unable to hear properly for the noise that was going on around her.
"Hey guys." She said her voice raised "Hey! Hey, SHUT HE HELL UP!" She shouted and everyone turned to look at her.
"Get out your receivers and turn up the volume." She ordered, and they all did.
"Holy shit!" Exclaimed Mirror after a second "That sounds like Johnny B!"
Everyone started to talk again, loudly, and Memphis tossed his receiver to Toby.
"Hook this up to your circuit, I want to hear every word they are saying loud and clear, and I want you to monitor it until we find out where they are."
"Yessir!" Toby threw him a quick salute and hurried off, followed by most of the younger crewmembers.
Memphis walked through the commotion over to where Sway sat., a small grin playing across his features. Without breaking his stride he grabbed her face in his hands, and pulled her lips up to his, enveloping her in a brief, strong kiss.
"Clever lady." He mumbled against her lips before turning and walking back towards Toby.
*** End Chapter 18 ***
.3.48pm.
Ten minutes later Otto's eyes brightened as he heard the roar of an engine that could only belong to a Lotus. A couple of the crew ran out to the drive to get a closer look at the sexy lady as Memphis and Sway walked through the garage door, Memphis scanning the room quickly, a mental register running through his mind. Sway dumped a shopping bag on the floor and Rachel raised her eyebrows.
"Did you change!?" She chuckled.
Sway simply flashed a small grin and sat down next to her as the others returned to their seats muttering words of appreciation and awe for the beautifully crafted Faith.
Memphis looked over at Otto. "Still no Sphinx?"
He shook his head.
"Shit." Cursed Memphis "He should be back by now."
***
.3.50pm.
Sphinx had blacked out again and awoke to find himself tied to a chair, obviously inside the ominous looking breezeblock building. He kept his eyes shut, wanting more time to figure out what he was up against and what the hell he was going to do about it. He identified five separate voices, one of these, belonging to Johnny B.
"What are you brain-dead asshole!" He shouted at one of the other men. "Of the ten people in that crew that you could have gotten me, you went and brought me the one who can't fuckin' speak!"
"We-" One of the others tried to defend their actions.
"Shut the hell up Smithy I couldn't give a damn! Jesus! Fuckin' brain-dead the lot of you!"
"We can still use him Johnny B." Someone else piped up. "For barterin' and shit."
"We can still use him." Mimicked Johnny in a whiney voice "Yes, asshole, but we could have used one of the ones THAT COULD FUCKIN' SPEAK to get some info out of them as well! Shit! Why didn't you get his girl? I asked you to get her!"
"There's two girls boss." Muttered Smithy "We didn't know which one she was."
"Does it fucking matter! At least they can speak! Jesus. Assholes! She the only one with fucking blonde dreds."
"Sorry Jonny." They all muttered in unison.
"Oh shut the hell up and just search him aiight." Snapped Johnny with an exasperated sigh, and Sphinx heard what sounded like him sinking down into a chair.
Footsteps came towards him and someone slapped him sharply around the face.
"Oi! Big man. Wake up asshole."
Sphinx shook his head to clear the stars now dancing behind his eyelids and slowly raised his gaze to stare menacingly into the face of a short, stocky man who couldn't have been older than twenty.
"Ah so you's awake sleeping beauty!" He said brightly. Some of the others chuckled and the short man, who by the sound of his voice was Smithy, stepped back.
"I's goin' to search you now dude, but don't go getting' any funny ideas coz I don't swing that way OK." The crew laughed again, moronically, and Johnny's voice echoed from across the room, where Sphinx noticed he was, as he had suspected, sat in a battered old armchair.
"Just fucking do it will you Smithy!"
"Aiight aiight! Chill dude." Smithy muttered and he reached forwards to put his hand in Sphinx's left pocket. He rummaged around for a moment and then retracted sharply with a yelp, stumbling backwards into one of his crew.
"Holy Shit!" He shouted as he flung something across the room. "What the fucks wrong with you!" He yelled at Sphinx as Johnny B leapt from his chair and came running over to see what the commotion was about.
"What?" He barked at Smithy.
"Damn sick bastard's got dead fuckin' rats in his pockets man!" Smithy answered shaking his hand violently "Damn teeth got in my hand. What if I've got rabies or sumthin'!?" He pointed over at the large gray rat that now rested on the floor by the door, and they all took cautious a step back from Sphinx who was starting at them, deadpan.
"Eeew! You're sick dude." Someone retorted.
"Rabies wont make no difference to you anyhow." Snapped Johnny. "Polis, get rid of that will you." He barked at one of the larger men, "And you three get your asses over here, we need to decide what we're gonna do with him. He might not be able to talk, but he sure as hell aint got no problem hearin'. Aint that right freak?" He addressed Sphinx before he turned away followed to the back of the room by his cronies. Sphinx simply blinked at him, as realization flooded over him.
In their haste to get rid of the rat, they hadn't checked Sphinx;'s right pocket, in which sat his receiver, set on mute, so they would never know it was there. He began to pull at the ropes binding his hands behind the chair. All he needed to do was create enough give to get his hand to his pocket and he could set his plan into action.
***
.3.55pm.
Sway sat ridged next to Rachel, her jaw set as she watched Memphis pacing around the room, and listened to the others as they loudly discussed ways of finding their missing crew member.
Memphis caught her eye and paused for a second to look at her, guilt predominant on his features. The muscles in his jaw twitched and he turned away to continue his pacing. Sway let out a shaky breath and looked down at the floor, her hands hanging limply off her knees. This was exactly what they didn't want to happen, what they didn't need. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of relief, when she felt a hand lightly resting on top of her own. She looked sideways at Rachel who sat gazing intently at the cigarette in her other hand, before raising it to her lips and giving Sway a fleeting glance of reassurance.
***
.3.59pm.
Sphinx bent his arm around a fraction of an inch further so that he could reach into his pocket. He groped around for a second, and just when he thought his arm was going to break from being forced into this unnatural angle, his fingers closed around the cold solid lump of his receiver. Beads of sweat appeared at his temples as he fumbled with it and eventually managed to push down the talk button and flick on the hold switch.
Gently he eased his hand out of his pocket and back behind his back where he flexed and relaxed it repeatedly trying to get the circulation re- pumping. Johnny's crew huddled around him in the far corner of the room, there backs to him, totally oblivious to the fact that Sphinx's own crew could now hear every whisper as well as he could.
***
.4.02pm.
Sway still sat in the same place watching Memphis. The talking around her had become louder in desperation and they were starting to bicker.
"Its Johnny B man, I'm telling you." Said Freb shaking his head.
"Yeah!" Snapped Kip "I think we'd gathered that boy genius!"
"I was only trying to help!" He retaliated and Tumbler cut in to continue the argument.
Sway tipped her head back again, exasperated.
That's when she heard it.
A small noise from somewhere next to her. She snapped her head up and looked down. There was noting there. She listened a little harder, and heard it again, this time sure it was not a figment of her imagination. It sounded like someone clearing their throat and she realized that it was coming from her pocket.
She quickly whipped out her receiver and held it to her ear, unable to hear properly for the noise that was going on around her.
"Hey guys." She said her voice raised "Hey! Hey, SHUT HE HELL UP!" She shouted and everyone turned to look at her.
"Get out your receivers and turn up the volume." She ordered, and they all did.
"Holy shit!" Exclaimed Mirror after a second "That sounds like Johnny B!"
Everyone started to talk again, loudly, and Memphis tossed his receiver to Toby.
"Hook this up to your circuit, I want to hear every word they are saying loud and clear, and I want you to monitor it until we find out where they are."
"Yessir!" Toby threw him a quick salute and hurried off, followed by most of the younger crewmembers.
Memphis walked through the commotion over to where Sway sat., a small grin playing across his features. Without breaking his stride he grabbed her face in his hands, and pulled her lips up to his, enveloping her in a brief, strong kiss.
"Clever lady." He mumbled against her lips before turning and walking back towards Toby.
*** End Chapter 18 ***