A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a little short. My health wasn't the greatest these last few days and technical issues today interfered with my usual writing process. Anyway thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and thank you in advance for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Archival File: Day 42 after the capture of Sameen Shaw. Location: Subject's cell
Sameen Shaw suspected that something was up. Earlier a pair of faded unwashed military fatigues had been shoved through the slot on her door. Tan and brown they were reminiscent of the kind she had worn during her brief stint in the armed forces. Ditching the blanket Shaw did not even bother checking the garments for listening devices.
'What would be the point anyway? They already have this cell completely bugged and the chances of me escaping at the moment are slim.' She was glad to fully dress once more not for reasons of modesty, but more that it helped to stave off the cold.
It was not long after that she was fully clothes that there came a short crisp KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on the metal door. The sound reverberated through the cement room loud enough to wake even the heaviest sleeper let alone the fully alert operative contained within.
"Ms. Shaw if you are decent may I come in?"
Her eyes narrowed at the man's voice. 'Is he seriously asking me for permission when I'm the one being held captive? The man must be an idiot, or else…' She let the thought lapse as she waited silently to see what was about to happen.
After perhaps a minute of silence the man knocked once more on the door. "Ms. Shaw please at least do me the curtesy of responding. If you are hoping that I would mistakenly infer from the silence that you had managed to escape, or would not come in without your permission then you are sadly mistaken. I am doing this out of respect for you and because it is good manners. So if you could please show me the same curtesy and make yourself decent and refrain from assaulting me I would greatly appreciate it." There was a slight edge to his voice the source of which could not be determined.
Sameen could infer little from the man's voice. There was a slight nasally accent to it that hinted the man had grown up in the Midwest and had at least some education. Seeing little to be gained from remaining silent she gave a grunt of acknowledgement and stood on slight shaky feet. 'Damn it. Figures my muscles have to start atrophying now. Knew I should have upped my training regimen to make up for the lousy food in this place. I need to focus. Learn as much as I can from this guy while giving him nothing. Every little bit will aid me in escaping this place and bringing it and their insane master raining down on these bastards'' heads.'
There was silence for a moment before the quiet SNICK of a metal latch retracting and the door opened out into the hallway.
'That's odd. Usually cells to hold prisoners open inwards and not out into the hall. Why is this one different?' Shaw thought even as she squinted her eyes from the added light pouring in from the hallway.
When she was able to see once more the immediately noticed the two armed guards, weapons at the ready and pointed directly at her, standing in the doorframe. Military type knives had been affixed to the gun's barrels via duct tape like crude bayonets. Shaw had to smile at that. "I guess your bosses aren't taking any chances with me even after at least a month and a half." Her voice was hoarse from disuse and sounded deeper. Almost like she was dealing with a nasty cough.
"I must say I am impressed. Most people wouldn't be able to keep any semblance of time after this long. You are correct it has been rough a month and a half. A pity though since I took great pains to ensure that there was nothing to aid you in keeping track of time. Tell me how did you manage it?" The speaker stepped between the two guards and entered the room. While he wore a smile on his face it looked out of place and seemed more like the crude attempts of a man trying to mimic the emotion.
She said nothing as she bit the corner of her lip till she tasted blood. 'Can't make any expressions. If I do then he'll know I wasn't completely certain. I'll have to thank Root next time for those lessons she gave me.'
The man stepped further into the room till he was just outside of arm's length from Shaw. He looked to be in his early thirties. His light brown hair was messy and looked more fitting for someone who spent their time amidst dusty ruins of ancient civilizations or down in the bowels of a library pouring over books that hadn't been touched in over a decade. A large wave had built up in the middle of his hair, its natural curl becoming more evident as it grew longer and likely only kept smooth and flat from the use of hair gel. Though cut short it had already grown somewhat shaggy and had started to grow past the tips of his ears. One lock in particular hung down far enough to brush the frame of his smudged and stained glasses with each step he took. Overall it did little to make him look professional.
Unlike Greer and Martine the man was dressed in what would amount to casual for some. The long sleeve collared shirt he wore was a striped mixture of dark blue and black that blended seamlessly together. The top two buttons were undone revealing the pale white flesh of his neck that was lightly dusted with freckles. Though he wore pants that went with business attire they were wrinkly and looked to be in need of ironing. The woven black belt he wore at least matched with the pants even if the stained and old white tennis shoes he wore did not.
"I am David." He said politely as he extended a hand out to Shaw. The same out of place smile affixed to his face.
Shaw looked him in the eyes for a moment. 'What is your game?' She wondered. Looking down at his hand she knew just what to do. With all the forced politeness she could muster, derived from her time working at that horrid department store she gave him a smile and took his hand. "Sameen Shaw."
ARCHIVAL LOG: DAY 43 AFTER THE CAPTURE OF SAMEEN SHAW. LOCATION: HEAD INTERROGATOR'S OFFICE.
Sitting in David's chair Martine was all smiles. Her favorite weapon lay on the desk before her disassembled as she gave it a thorough cleaning while waiting for David's arrival. There was a quiet beep from the computer on his desk and the monitor lit up to display Shaw still safely locked away in her cell.
"Hey come on we got off to a rough start! Why don't we try that whole introduction thing again? I'm sure I'll get it right this time!" She yelled up at the camera located in the corner of the ceiling before launching into a mixture of a coughing and laughing fit.
"Please tell me she has not been like that all day." David's voice sounded pained as he managed to open the door to his office.
Martine said nothing as she set the metal piece she had been cleaning down on the desk and watched the man's struggles in amusement.
David gave her a look as he banged his left shoulder against the door frame holding it open as he maneuvered the crutch inside.
He looked slightly worse for wear. Now on his third spare pair of glasses, the prescription at least 2 years out of date. The black eye he had seemed oddly fitting to the wad of Kleenex stuffed up his left nostril that was stained a deep shade of red throughout. His left arm was in a sling and he had a brace on his right knee.
"The reports weren't kidding when they said she did a number on you." Martine smirked at the prisoner's handiwork. An odd emotional mix of appreciation and desire coursing through her that left her undecided if she wanted to torture Shaw, or bed her.
"It turns out Ms. Shaw is anything but a fan of Samaritan, and cares little about pleasantries. Of course those idiots almost shot her despite my orders!" He gave her a particularly harsh glare as if he suspected she was the reason for this disobedience.
"You made it out of there alive though. Maybe now you'll let me handle the interrogations from now on. That is unless you think your medical bills can handle the recurring abuse." Assembling her weapon Martine made sure to accidentally knock David into the wall as she brushed past him and left the office without bothering to close the door behind her.
Once David was steady he listened intently to make sure she was gone. Satisfied her leaned the crutch against the wall and made the few painful steps over and shut the door.
'Martine, you are not nearly as clever as you think you are.' He thought with a smile. He painfully limped over to his desk and took care to throw the Kleenex, left over from yesterday when his nose had gone bloody due to the cold and not due to Shaw, into the trash.
Once seated David reflected on how readily Sameen had used the opportunity to attack him. 'Sameen Shaw, the reports on you hardly do you justice. You took me down in less than three seconds, and had those guards actually tried to kill you they would have only succeeded in killing each other. I wonder would you have been able to escape without knowing the buildings layout once you were armed. Or would you have stayed and sacrificed your life once more in order to cause as much havoc as possible? A black eye, sprained wrist, and dislocated knee. Well worth the price to learn this about you. You will work out so well with what I have planned. Only question is who to turn you against first?' Inwardly he laughed as he dug a torn photo out of a pocket.
It was a grainy black and white photo that had been taken at a far distance. A single piece of evidence that he had managed to obtain through painstaking efforts without the help or knowledge of Samaritan. It had been the best quality amongst the numerous pictures amidst the collection that had been taken whilst the apartment's occupant had been at work. While the man had not been remarkable he had a nasty habit of using a telephoto lens to peep into the apartments of the occupants across the street. He had a penchant to photograph the more attractive female residents and keep the photos for his own enjoyment. The particular photo had been taken several months back before Samaritan had come online. In featured two figures that were barely clothed and locked in a heated kiss. Even though it was a side profile there had been no mistaken Sameen in it. Her female lover…whose identity was still currently unknown was certain to provide him the information necessary in breaking Shaw. And even if the photo failed, he still had access to the man's negatives which could be pursued to find a better photo of the woman alone.
A/N: Well that is all for now. For those who are curious just leave a comment or shoot me a message and I can try and explain the significance of having negatives to work with. Anyway hope you guys enjoyed this. Feel free to leave comments and let me know if there are any mistakes that need correcting. Enjoy the rest of your day.