The officers took two steps back as Jessica was pulled in front of Octavius. They started to speak but ducked behind the car doors, masking their mouths. Jess squirmed, trying to look back at Otto when she felt his weight shift and they moved out of the store and up the side of a building, Jessica with a death grip on her grocery bag. He ran along and caught a ride on the top of a train, jumping off at a window and hanging onto the side of a building. The actuators easily snapped the latch, and opened the window, dumping her through before following with Otto, throwing the sill and shade closed. Jess sat up and leaned against the wall, staring through the other side of the apartment. She managed to let go of the bag after a few minutes and slowly moved her hands.
"Where are…" She signed when she took a second look and realized she was home. Her eyes darted around and she looked up at Otto. A pad of paper came flying at her and she let it land on the floor next to her.
"Don't put anything away; grab some clothes, money and any extra food. If you need anything else, get it. We're not staying here." She looked at him, wide-eyed.
"I'm a hostage?" She wrote and handed the paper to an actuator. He read it and looked back at her and motioned for her to go to her room as he scribbled and then held up the pad as she walked by.
"Pack light." She nodded sullenly as he moved to the couch, the actuators taking out her laptop and handing it to Otto. He made sure everything was in the bag as he leaned back, relaxing.
Why do you continue to speak through written word? Why don't you just speak to her? Otto was surprised it had taken them as long as it had to ask him about her. And why does she move her hands around all the time?
Because she's deaf.
Deaf?
She can't hear.
Oh. They curled around idly, mulling over this new fact. Is this deaf a defect or a malfunction? Otto set the laptop on the table and then sank back into the couch.
To us who can hear, it seems like it. But to her, it's probably all she knows. I doubt she's heard much of anything during her life, but she gets along quite well from the looks of it. She landed a job at OSCORP after all. Otto twiddled the notepad in a claw.
Interesting.
Indeed. He waited patiently, studying the room, and looking for anything of interest or intrigue. How long has it been?
Ten minutes. Otto scowled and walked over to her room, opening the door.
Jessica saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head, looking at Otto. She was halfway out of the window, a foot on the ledge just outside. An actuator streaked toward her and she tried to duck out of the window, but instead hit her head on the sill, knocking herself out.
Jess opened her eyes, her head throbbing and realized she'd been gagged, but only her legs had been chained to a metal I-beam supporting whatever building she was in. The gag, as her hands found, had been tightly knotted, and then doubled up with zip ties. Otto came from behind her, towering over her as she scooted up against the support. The claws looked at her, the centers glowing a blood-like color. He held out a notepad to her.
"Your hands will remain free as long as you need them to communicate." Jessica simply glared at Otto, and he returned the look, intensified. "You have been unconscious for two days. The city is being quite difficult about your ransom. I'm hoping you have material from OSCORP on your laptop that will garner some attention. What is the password?" Jessica crossed her arms defiantly, wrinkling her nose at him. He rolled his eyes and set the pad and pencil at her feet, walking away. Once he was out of sight, she reached behind her and started pulling and tugging at the gag, until she realized something else was on the back of her neck. Jess traced it deftly with her finger tips, along her spine from her hairline down to between her shoulder blades. The cold metal tingling her digits, and for the first time, she heard herself scream.