See 1st chapter for disclaimer.
Chapter 10 – CharadesHannah flew down the corridor, the Twins only a few paces behind her. Registering that the corridor was a dead end she dove through a door on her left, not knowing or caring what was behind it. She barely took in the room as she sped through it, willing her feet to move faster. The voice of her ninjutsu instructor from when she was younger came into her head, the one thing he always seemed to be saying: "Quicker feet, come on /quicker feet/."
She raced through room after room, corridor after corridor, not having any idea where she was going, or where she was trying to get. If she had been able to concentrate on anything else, it may well have struck her as odd that the building didn't appear to have any beginning or end. No matter where she went, there was always somewhere new to go, always another way out so she didn't have to go back on herself. With retrospect she decided that she definitely should have realised – normal buildings just /aren't like that/.
However, one thing she was aware of was that in a normal chase she would have been caught very quickly by 2 grown men. Why was it taking so long?
Oh no…they're doing this deliberately…they're trying to wear me out, I know it… She knew she ought to stop, if that was what they were doing, but was too afraid. The only reason she had managed to start running in the first place from being frozen to the spot was the production of a pair of very clean, very sharp-looking switchblades. She knew how to deal with armed attackers…but was too afraid to risk it.
Do I run, do I fight them…do I run, do I fight them…well if I'm going to have to fight them eventually, at least if I stop now I'll have enough energy left to do it properly…but if I keep going I might find a way out and I can avoid it entirely.
Luckily, the decision was made suddenly made easier – in a way she would never have expected.
OoOoO
"Right, you pinpoint the location, I'll get myself set up," I said, striding over towards a chair, "then I can jack in and-"
"Wait, wait, wait," Link interrupted. "I can't just send you in."
"Why not?"
"Well first, Morpheus'd kill me, and second, it might not even be the chateau. It might be a disguise location, or a trap. We need to get a proper search on it."
I sighed irritably. "Fine, fine, run a 'proper search' then."
Link scratched the back of his ear nervously. "Well…thing is, I can't do it. Only Morpheus can, he's the only one who could do a decent job of it."
"Great. Fan-fking-tastic." I threw myself down in a chair and slumped my head into my hands. He put his hand on my shoulder hesitantly, not sure how to be comforting. Even in the state I was, I was touched by his concern. I managed a lop-sided smile and tried to soften my voice a bit.
"Well Morpheus'll have to do it then." I hesitated as Link looked like he was about to get up. "Hey, look, just let him sleep for a bit. If it's a trap now it'll still be a trap in the morning, at least he'll be able to do it decently if he's had a full night's sleep."
"You sure? I thought you couldn't wait that long."
"Yeah well, I might be impatient, but I'm not taking any risks. He'll do it best in the morning." Link nodded, and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. I smiled. "Why don't you go to bed, too? It's the end of your watch anyway. I don't mind staying up."
He looked at me through weary, worried eyes. "Don't you think you should be getting some sleep too?"
I shook my head and looked at the floor. "Nah, I don't mind." I glanced over at Hannah and added quietly, "I can't sleep while she's in there, anyway."
He nodded and rubbed my shoulder. "OK." He got up and started to turn, then stopped and looked back at me. "Don't worry. We will find her. You'll see her soon."
When he'd gone I turned back to the computer screen, spread my fingers over the keyboard and began to type furiously. I felt guilty about leading Link on, but I would never have got him to leave otherwise. I took the operator's head set he had left for me and hung it on a hook under the desk, got up and checked everything once more before heading over and settling myself into the chair next to Hannah.
Morpheus is gonna kill me for this…but I'm sorry, I am /not/ leaving my twin's life in the hands of their computers. Screw techni-crap searches, she's my twin, I can find her myself.
I reached over and squeezed her disconcertingly cold hand. I'm coming for you, Hannah, I'll be there soon. I reached back, shut my eyes tight, and took hold of the plug.
