Jaime had been steadily working on the steel door in the ceiling for longer than even she would have thought. And she could feel it beginning to give under the pressure of her bionic thrusts. She leapt up once again, and her fist finally went through, and she grabbed on to the top of it, trying not to look into the light that shined in her ill-adjusted eyes. Holding herself with her left arm, she peeled back the steel with her right, until there was enough room for her to squeeze through, and she hoisted herself up and out of the the little basement cell. She was not, however, prepared for what awaited her.
The group of machine gun-wielding men stared at her in astonishment, their weapons trained at her head. Jaime sighed.
Hi guys... guess you're not used to seeing women pound her way through steel doors, huh?
If the men understood her, they gave no indication of it. She started to heft herself the rest of the way out of the hole she had made, only to be rewarded by the guns coming closer.
Okay, well, I can sit here in the middle of this hole, or I can sit down on the floor. I know which one I'd prefer...
A voice from behind them spoke in Iranian, and the guns backed off. He stepped from behind the ranks, and Jaime recognized him. He was the man who had been with Gillespie in the lab back in Tabriz. He looked at her and spoke in English.
Obviously everything that Dr. Gillespie said about you is true.
Jaime glared at him. I suppose if you like gossip, it's as good as anyone else's.
The man laughed. Yes, if I were you, I'd admit to nothing; however Miss Sommers, he pointed to the hole in the steel, it's a little difficult to deny at this point. At least, it explains how you were able to get away last year.What is it you want?
The man's eyes turned caustic. You cost us a lot of time and money, Miss Sommers. We intend to recoup our losses.Really. And just how do you intend to do that?Well, we were going to sell Goldman to the highest bidder, the information he has in his head is worth a small fortune.Oscar would sooner kill himself than give secrets away to foreign governments.Quite true, but with all the modern techniques and drugs, he wouldn't have had much choice. That is now a moot point in any case----What do you mean?
He smiled at her. Of course, you would not know. Goldman's dead.
The two words hit Jaime hard in the gut, as surely as a physical blow. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and tried to hold back the tears that she knew were threatening to fill her eyes.
You're lying.
The man shrugged. We have no reason to do that. You can't get away this time, Miss Sommers, and we will sell you to the highest bidder. Something tells me you'll fetch more money than Goldman would have in any case. He turned to one of the men with the machine guns. Put her in the next room with armed guards outside at all times. If she tries to escape, kill her.Kill me, and I'll be worth nothing.
He smiled. Unfortunately for you, Miss Sommers, that's not true. An autopsy would prove almost as informative regarding your bionic secrets. And there is always the added plus of permanently shutting your mouth. American women talk far too much.
Jaime watched him leave, and didn't resist as one of the men grabbed her arm and lead her through a door, down a hall, and into another cell. As the door slammed home, Jaime slumped against the wall, sliding down to the floor. The only thing that muffled her sobs of grief was the three-inch thick walls of steel separating her from her captors. But in that moment, Jaime didn't care. She only knew that she had lost someone very close to her, and she hadn't felt a hurt of such magnitude since the day her parents were killed when she was 16. Jaime pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head into them, sobbing like a small child. She knew she'd have to get past it quickly if she was to stand any chance of surviving, but for this small moment, she would give in to what was in her heart for Oscar. She owed him at least that much.