Hell Hath None American Beauty/ American Psycho
Warning: mentions of torture, gore
Jack stood alone in her hotel room, taking in the silence. The past few days have been lonely and she missed Don. She wanted so badly to reach out to him, write to him, call him. They wouldn't let her. It could ruin her cover.
Jack was no longer going by Jack or Jacqueline. She was now Margot Bader, visiting her family to help after the war. She was unmarried with no children. Jack had to leave her wedding ring behind. She wished she could keep it with her for comfort. For some reason they let her have her dog tags. Jack didn't dwell on why.
Jack was order to wait until someone gave her the first assignment. She was free to go about Berlin as she wished, but she had to be extremely cautious. She couldn't talk to anyone for longer than a few minutes and she had to speak in German. The first day, Jack remained in her hotel. Once it had all sunk in where she was and what she was doing, a panic gripped at her chest. She couldn't breathe. She ran over and closed the curtains and locked herself in. she sat on her bed with her hands covering her face. Jack kept expecting a bomb to go off any minute and shake the building. There was nothing but the anticipation was eating away at her.
She didn't eat that night. Jack couldn't find it in her to eat. She wasn't hungry. She was scared. She just lay on the bed, and after a while, she began to cry silently. She thought she was finally done with this cursed country. She just wanted to go home and forget the war. It felt so wrong lying in a bed without Don. She cried herself to sleep, feeling so lost. She didn't know if she could do what they wanted.
The next morning, Jack dragged herself out of bed, but it was closer to noon. She showered and put on fresh clothes and brushed her teeth. She felt marginally better. She needed to get a grip. If she ever wanted to go home, she had to suck it up and do her job. She could do this.
Jack figured some fresh air would do her some good so she grabbed her purse and a hat and made her way out. Most of the buildings had been bombed or destroyed. Her hotel and a few other buildings were untouched. People walked about, cleaning, moving debris, trying to get back to a normal life. It had been over a year and Berlin was beginning to get back on its feet. Jack could see where new buildings had been erected and where people were working to make more. There was a small market two blocks away and Jack decided to go see if she could find some food.
Jack noticed the Amrican troops wandering around and briefly wondered if they were anyone she knew. As she looked, none seemed familiar. Jack kept to herself and found the area where she could buy food. When she was paying, Jack was startled at the cashier. She knew this girl and from the look on the girl's face, she recognized Jack, too. Where had Jack seen her before?
A few seconds later, Jack remembered. She took her food and began walking back to the hotel. The girl was the girl with the bike, from Norman's first day. She hadn't changed at all. Jack hoped to God the girl didn't recognize her from the tank. The girl seemed confused, as if she recognized Jack, but didn't know who she was. Jack hoped it would remain that way.
She didn't buy much, just some bread and fruit. If she wanted a meal, she would have to go to a restaurant. Jack didn't feel up for that and she still wasn't too hungry. But she knew Don would be pissed if she didn't eat. Jack opened one of the window curtains and sat at the small table, eating an apple. She looked out the window and watched the people below her. Jack tried to trick herself into think she was back home in her apartment. The rubble made it difficult.
Jack turned to look at the door when she heard a shuffling noise. An orange envelope had been slid under her door. Her heart beat wildly. It was her first assignment. She stood and walked over to the door. She picked it up and opened it.
She read the directions, studied the map and the picture of the man she had to meet. She followed her instructions and went to the bathroom. She stood over the sink and grabbed a box of matches. She burned the papers ad washed the ash down the drain. Jack wasn't allowed to keep the papers. Jack had destroy anything that give her away.
Jack had to wait until tomorrow to go meet the man. She had to walk six blocks to a small flower shop and ask for a blue rose. tHat was all they told her to do.
Jack sighed and stood in the bathroom for a minute. Why was she so panicked? The war was over, the Nazi's were not in power. She had no reason to be afraid. She was in the section that was occupied by American soldiers. Besides, all she had to do was get information from point A to point B. She wasn't actually a spy inside the Nazi organization.
She could do this. She had worked in a tank during the war and she survived. She could get through this. Jack just needed to relax and not be so worried. She had been through worse, and now, no one was trying to shoot her or blow her up. This should be easy.
Jack turned and decided to take a warm bath. She turned it on and let the tub fill up. As she let it fill, she slipped back into her room and headed for her small trunk of clothes. She dug out an old, worn out book. It was the copy of Frankenstien McMurphy had lent her. She never got around to giving it back.
Jack settled into the bath and opened the book. Jack tried to relax, and the warm water and the book helped, but she still couldn't completely relax. Eventually she put the book down and sighed. She let her head fall back and she looked up at the ceiling. Jack let her mind wander to her husband. How was he handling everything? Was he ok?
Jack missed him. She wasn't so sure when she had become so dependent on him and it annoyed her. She could handle herself, but Don meant safe. Jack could never feel relaxed or safe unless Don was there. She could get through this without him, she would have to.
The next morning, Jack was up and dressed, heading out the door, by seven in the morning. The cold bit at her and she couldn't help but think back to the winters during the war. It was bleak and cold and the sky looked like it would rain.
Jack made her way quickly down the streets, turning when she needed to. She kept an eye on her suroundings and made sure to walk quickly. She kept her head down and didn't look at anyone.
Three blocks down, Jack felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Jack looked over her shoulder and saw a man walking up the street behind her. He was too close for comfort. Jack walked faster. Her heart was racing. It was her first fucking day and she was already being followed? She walked two more blocks before she looked over her shoulder.
When Jack looked back, the man was gone. Jack stopped walking. She was confused, but she was also relieved. Where did he go? Does it matter? He wasn't following her at least. Jack sighed in relief and began walking again. She was about to reach a corner where she needed to turn, but a hand flashed out from an alley and grabbed her. Jack tried to scream, but a hand covered her mouth as the man dragged her back into the alley. She bit his hand as hard as he could and he cried out, letting go of her face. She brought her elbow back as hard as she could and hit him in the stomach.
The man stumbled back and brought Jack with him. She let out a shriek and a cry for help before the man threw her to the ground and kicked her face. Jack cried out. Her hands flew to her nose. There was blood. She heard a click and looked up at the man. He had a gun pointed right at her. There was o way she could get out of this without a bullet going through her.
"Get up." The man growled. He had a thick German accent. Jack did as she was told. "Fucking American, think we wouldn't be prepared." Jack just stared at him. She kept her face blank even though she was terrified. How did he know who she was? She did everything she was told. There's no way they should know.
The man grabbed her arm and spun her infront of him. He kept the gun on her back and lead her out of the alley. There was a black car with two men inside already. They tossed her in. She was immediately handcuffed and a bag was put over her head.
Jack's heart was racing. She tried to focus on all the turns the car took and tried to map out their route, but it made no sense. They didn't speak so Jack couldn't figure out what was going on from them. She had no option but to sit there.
Her mind filled with all the horrible possibilities and terror flood her. She needed to escape.
The car drove down into a tunnel that led to a large opening. It looked like a hanger of some sort, They had removed the bag from Jack's head and began to lead her through the large open area. She was taken down a flight of steps and thrown in a cell. Three walls were stone and one was steel bars. No one had said anything to her yet.
Jack sat on the stone floor in the dark. She could hardly see three feet in front of her. She was startled when something furry ran past her hand. She jumped and stood. Her hands were still bound together and she looked around her cell. There was a rusty bucket in the corner and that was it.
Jack jumped when she heard a man screaming out in pain. She looked out of her cell but she couldn't see far. Jack felt her heart racing and her breath was stuck in her throat. She felt a sense of doom close in around her. Jack was back being held hostage with the Nazis. She was trapped in a cell. She had no idea where she was.
Her mind was racing and her breathe caught in her throat. It took every ounce of her strength to not let panic consume her. The man screamed for what seemed to be forever. Even after he stopped, the scream echoed in her mind.
A heavy door opened and Jack heard something being slid across the floor. Two men walked past her cell, dragging a bleeding man. His face was swollen and Jack could smell burning flesh. Her stomach lurched. Not again.
The two men returned and stopped at her cell. Jack stepped back, startled. They unlocked her cell and one man stepped in, grabbing her arm roughly.
"Get the fuck off me!" She yelled and jerked out of their grips. They grabbed her again and she rushed one of them, taking him off guard. She knocked him over and stumbled. The second man wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, dragging her away . She kicked and struggled. "Let me go! Get your fucking hands off me, you son of a bitch!" She hollered.
The man on the ground stood and the second man dragged her out of the cell. They closed her cell and she kicked and screamed and struggled all the way down the hall. The man pushed her onto a wooden chair. Jack sat and glared at the two men. There was a table in front of her and she could see blood on it.
Jack kept her jaw clenched shut. She would get through this. She's been held by these men before, she can do it again. She just had to stay strong.
The two men picked up the table and moved it to the side of the room. They then dragged over a large metal bucket that had been filled with water. A third man walked through a door on the opposite wall and sat in a chair across from her. The two men who brought her in stood on her left and right.
"hallo, Mrs. Collier." The man said. Jack kept her mouth clenched shut, but she was so confused. How did they know who she was? "It has come to my attention, that you have been employed by your country to be a messenger for men who have infiltrated our ranks." Jack said nothing but just glared at the man, trying to look braver than she felt. "You know the names of the men. I need them."
"Go to hell." She answered quickly. The man laughed and motioned to the men to bring her forward. Jack was shoved off the chair and onto her knees. The man leaned forward.
"Tell me the names." The man said quietly. Jack kept her mouth shut and glared at him. "Fine. Dunk her." Jack's head was forced into cold water. She was held under until her lungs felt like they were on fire.
Jack woke up back in her cell, her wet hair plastered to her face and the dirty floor. She coughed and rolled over onto her side. They had held her underwater and lifted her head back up, giving her a chance to answer. Each time she stayed silent and they held her under, increasing the time. She wasn't sure how long they had kept her at it, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Jack coughed for a few minutes before she sat up. She had passed out while underwater and she was surprised she was still alive. In the corner of her cell, near the bars, was a tray. There was a cup on it that had been knocked over, and rats eating what little bread they had given her. She could go one day without food. She would just make sure to be awake the next time.
The water is what she was worried about. Jack wondered how the glass had gotten knocked over. She needed water more than she needed food. Jack shivered and scooted over to lean against the wall. It was cold and she wondered what time it was. Jack didn't hear anyone screaming, and she didn't hear voices. No one was walking around or dragging anyone down the hall.
In the dark cell, Jack sat alone with her thoughts. A realization struck her. She realized how alone she was. No one was coming to save her, no one even knew where she was, and she doubted anyone in America who knew she was missing cared. Their agents go missing all the time. They are just assumed dead. Jack wondered if they had told Don yet.
They would tell Don that she was dead. He would be crushed but he would get by. She just wished she could have seen him one last time.
Jack was going to die alone in that cell. She would have to accept that. But she'll be damned if she went down without a fight. Jack swore she would give them as much hell as she could. She might die here, but she was not going to make it easy on them. This thought of determination stayed with Jack as she fell back asleep. She was tired and she was afraid. But sleep promised her an escape, even if it's temporary.
Jack was woken up by cold water being splashed on her. It startled her awake, and they were dragging her away again. They did the same thing as before. They dunked her head into a basin. They drowned her until she blacked out. She woke up again in her cell, this time no tray. For what seemed to be hours, Jack heard men and women screaming in pain, or coughing up water. Blood left marks on the ground.
After a while, they stopped trying to drown her and just beat her. The two men from before would have free reign to beat her for a few minutes. Jack fought back. Even thought they kept her handcuffed, she kicked and clawed and punched. She got one of them on the ground and got her handcuffs around his neck and she began to choke him. She almost killed him had the second man not pulled her off and thrown her against a wall. They stopped that method.
Instead, the next time they saw her, the "ringleader" had a whip in his hand. Jack kept her jaw clenched shut. She would not give them the satisfaction. She would not cry out, she would not scream. She fought back tears and bit down so hard her tongue began to bleed.
They dragged her back to her cell and tossed her onto the dirty floor. Her back was bleeding and it stung. It hurt to move, but she needed to get her back off the dirty floor. She rolled onto her stomach and say the tray. This time, it looked like there was some soup. Jack got on all fours and crawled over to it. It seemed untouched and she lifted the bowl to her mouth. It was cold and it tasted horrible, but she drank it all. There was no water. Her head had started to hurt and she was thirsty. She needed water. At least the soup thing helped a bit with the hunger.
Jack didn't sleep well, her back stung too much. Instead she thought of her family. Her living family. She thought of Betty and Norman and almost cried at the thought of them. Boyd and Dolores had a child and she wished she could be there to see them. Jack prayed that Renee and Grady were still together and doing well. She hoped Gordo and Grady would be ok.
Jack thought of Don. She prayed to God that he would be alright. She hoped he would get through everything alright. Jack wondered if they held a funeral for her yet. Surely they told them she was dead. They would be burying an empty coffin. Her body would rot in Germany. She should have known better. She was always destined to die in Germany. She could never truly leave.
The dark made it difficult to see. Jack couldn't tell how long she had been in there. Jack had no way of knowing the difference between day and night. For all she knows, she could have been in there for two days. Every so often, they woud wake her, drag her away, and whip or drown her.
Jack still struggled and made it difficult for them, but she was weakening. Jack was shaky and couldn't get enough energy behind her shoved and kicks and punches. They hardly fed her and she wasn't sure how much sleep she was getting. She wish she could just see what time it was.
Time must have passed, because the open cuts on her back healed. They weren't too deep and they had stopped whipping her for a while. Jack figured she could hang on for a little longer with the wiping and drowning. It was taking a huge toll yes, but she had to stay alive. She didn't know why, but she just had to.
The day Jack changed her mind was the day they tried something completely different. When they got to the room, Jack was seated in the chair, but this time, one of the men grabbed her hair and the back of her neck and forced her to lean forward roughly. She grunted.
The second man roughly grabbed the bottom of her blouse and pulled it up, exposing her back. and most of her ribs. Jack sat in the chair, heart racing. What were they going to do? She shivered in the cold, her skin was still wet from the wake up call.
"Give me the names." The man said for the millionth time. Jack remained silent. Something like a poweder hit her skin and the moment it touched her skin, her back seemed to erupt in flame. To her horror, a strained cry escape and she couldn't close her mouth from the sheer amount of pain she was in. Jack grunted and tried to shift to get whatever was on her back off but it seemed to make it burn worse. She wanted to beg for them to stop, to put the fire out, but she wouldn't give them that satisfaction. She sat in that chair with her back burning. Her eyes blurred with tears of pain and one or two fell.
After what seemed to be an eternity, someone dumped a bucket of water over her back, washing away the fire. The cold water shocked her body and she shook.
"Give me the names." The man said. Jack shook her head and more tears fell. The man sighed and her back erupted in flame again, this time a bit higher. Jack bit her lip t keep from crying out and she felt blood falling down her chin. They kept at it for a long while before they threw her back in her cell.
Jack thought of giving up the names just so they could kill her and be done with it all. She just wanted to die. But Jack didn't want to just quit and give up. The lives of those men and women depended on her ability to keep her mouth shut. She had to keep quiet.
Every so often they would feed her or give her water, just enough to stay alive. They would drag her out, beat her, drown her or burn her and through her back into her dirty cell. Some days the rats got her food before she could. Jack didn't know how long this cycle lasted. It seemed like she had been at it for years. She wondered if Don had moved on, found someone else. Jack thought about her friends and family often, but the thought made her want to cry. She couldn't cry. She would not give them that satisfaction.
They had begun beating her again, seeing as she was too weak to fight back. Now that they had begun whipping her again, they burned other areas. They didn't want her dead yet. Instead they burned her legs and arms. One day they poured the white powder on her chest, right on the bones. They burned the back of her hands and the blisters hurt.
Jack was tired. Jack was weak. She had stopped trying to eat, it wasn't doing her any good anyway. She just wanted it to end.
Jack's wish came true. After a while, the leader decided they weren't going to get anything from her. She was useless and it was time for her to go. The two men arrived at her cell and opened it. Jack watched them as they entered. One man kicked at her face hard. Her nose broke and she didn't have the energy to hold back the cry of pain. The other man stomped on her chest a few times and she cried out. She couldn't hold it back. It was a miracle she wasn't crying.
The two grabbed her by her arms and dragged her out. Jack closed her eyes, waiting to see what they would do to her today. When she found herself being forced up a flight of steps, she opened her eyes. She could see lights overhead. The men stopped at a door and opened it, pushing her through. She stumbled and fell onto the stone ground. She blinked at the harsh light as rain beat down on her. She sat up, still on her knees and looked at the walls that were also a grey stone. There was a mix of fresh and dried blood on the stones.
They were going to shoot her. She was going to die here. Jack didn't look at the man before her. Jack looked past the gun that was pointed right at her eye. Jack looked up into the sky. It was the last thing she would see before she died. It wasn't so bad. She just wished that maybe she could have seen blue instead.
Her mind flashed to her parents, her sister, baby Norman. She would see them again very soon. She hoped they were proud of her for surviving as long as she did.
A gunshot rang out and blood splattered onto her face as the man before her fell. Gunfire exploded overhead and Jack's instincts kicked in. She got on the ground and curled in on herself, trying to avoid the bullets. Her arm throbbed with a familiar pain. She had been shot by a ricocheting bullet and it buried into her arm. Her heart beat wildly and for the first time in who knows how long, hope filled her soul. Someone had come, someone had saved her.
When silence filled the stone courtyard, Jack peeked out to see a few men on a roof nearby. A heavy door slammed open and footsteps surrounded her and shouts of American and British voices mixed in, shouting. Jack couldn't understand them. Someone rolled her onto her back and the faces of soldiers entered her visions. A dark haired woman hovered over her.
"Mrs. Collier, my name is Peggy. Do you understand?" The woman asked. Jack blinked a few times before nodding her head. The woman smiled and gently grabbed Jack's hand. "Jacqueline, you are going to be safe now. Do you understand?" Jack nodded and Peggy smiled again. Peggy began to stroke Jack's hair out of her face. "You are very brave, Jacqueline."
"Jack." She croaked out . She could hardly speak. "I'm Jack." Peggy smiled and nodded.
"We are waiting for a medic before we move you." Peggy told her. Jack nodded. "Just hang in there." Jack nodded. Peggy kept asking her questions, trying to keep her awake, but Jack was so tired. Her eyes began to close and Peggy fought ot keep her awake. "Jack, stay with me. Jack, wake up, darling." Peggy said as the medic finally arrived. Jack's eyes shut as her vision blurred and founded out. Before long the voices of Peggy and the medic were lost to her.
But it was ok. Jack was safe. She was safe. Jack was finally going home. The relief that filled her followed her into her sleep. She was going home.
Jack woke up in a hospital and the Peggy woman was standing next to her with a man in a suit. They were talking and Jack couldn't make out what they were saying, but Peggy looked angry. The man stopped talking when he saw Jack watching them.
"Mrs. Collier. I am with the Central Intelligence Agency of America. We are the men who recruited you. First, I would like to thank you for your service and give you my sincerest condolences for the amount of pain you have been through." The man spoke. He did not give a name. Jack watched him and he continued. "It has come to our understanding that they were holding you for questioning. What did you tell them."
"Nothing." Jack croaked out. The man looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Are you sure there wasn't something that could have slipped?" He asked. Jack frowned and shook her head.
"I didn't tell them a damn thing." She told him. He nodded, seeming to trust what she told him.
"Very well. You will be on the first plane back once the doctors clear you. Thank you again for your service, and you have our deepest gratitude." He said before nodding to Peggy and leaving. Peggy sighed and sat on a chair next to Jack's bed.
"Jack, I was told you fought in the war, was a member in a tank." Peggy began. "I asked why you were back in Germany. They told me they didn't give you a choice." Jack nodded confirming.
"They told me I would be arrested for treason. I figured I would have more of a chance of going home if I came here." Jack told her.
"I am so sorry this happened to you." Peggy told her. "It is an honor to meet you, Jack." Jack nodded and gave the woman a small smile. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jack spoke up, shock widening her eyes.
"What day is it?" Jack asked, anticipation welling painfully in her gut. Peggy furrowed her eyebrows before answering slowly. Peggy took Jack's hand in hers gently.
"February twentieth." Peggy answered. Jack's mouth dropped and tears filled her eyes but she forced them back. "You have been gone for a little over three months."
"That's all?" Jack asked. Peggy nodded, sympathy clear in her face. "Does my husband know I am still alive?" Peggy nodded with a small smile.
"Your husband was called yesterday once you were in the hospital." Peggy told her. Jack smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She covered her eyes with her hand and smiled. She was going home. "Jack," Peggy said softly. Jack looked at her. "I must go, now. It was a pleasure meeting you."
"Thank you, for saving me." Jack said quietly. Peggy smiled and nodded as she stood.
"I wish you safe travels Jack." Peggy told her. Jack smiled and nodded and the woman left. Jack found herself alone again, but she felt safe. She was going home. She made it. She survived.