The footsteps came closer and closer toward Sam and she was ready to feel the cold metal of a gun tip against her warm skin. Or if the man in the dark blue trench coat had a dagger, then it would be the slicing blade that would make contact with her skin. That would hurt. The gun would be a quicker death, though. But Sam wanted to live. She had to get the FLDSMDFR and get the man arrested. This was all for Flint and Brent. Last time, Flint had risked his life in the Giant Meatball and now it was her turn to risk her life.
Instead of the cold metal of a gun or the sharp blade of dagger, she felt a warm hand grab her wrist and drag her. She tried to pull her hand away, but whoever it was held on tight and seemed to be leading her somewhere. She had to ask who it was. For sure it wasn't the man in the dark blue trench coat. He would have probably just killed her on the spot. Unless he wanted her alive for something. Her mouth opened to ask the person who it was, but she had to think it over. What if she wasn't allowed to speak? Well too bad. She had to.
"Who are you and where the heck are you leading me?" she demanded, trying to cover up the fear ripping through her voice. Now she was even more frightened when the person didn't answer for a couple of minutes. But they responded eventually.
"I can help you get the FLDSMDFR. So shut up and follow me." A manly voice replied coldly and relaxed his grip on Sam's wrist. She relaxed too and followed with quicker strides. When the guy's words processed through her mind, she brought up the first question: Could this be a trap? It could be. The voice was cold enough to freeze steel. Maybe it was the man in the dark blue trench coat.
"We're stepping into a really bright room so contrast from the dark room into the light room might hurt your eyes." The man replied in a warmer voice and let Sam's wrist go. He opened a door and they stepped into a blinding room. Quickly, Sam squeezed her eyes shut and stepped in after him. The light seeped in through her eyelids and when she thought it was okay, she opened her eyes.
The room was square and small. Four chairs sat in a circle facing each other in the middle of the room. The bright lamp hung over the chairs, so the rest of the room was a shadow. But she knew it was a small room, because she saw the faint outlines of the walls in the shadows. The man motioned for her to sit in the chair. Slowly, she sat and the man sat in a chair facing her.
Now she got a good look at him. He wore a black turtleneck and dark blue pants. There was a dark blue wool hat on his head. She almost jumped at the sight of the outfit. It was the same outfit she saw on the man who was running down the hallway (when they had seen the videotape from the security camera) and now he sat in front of her. Could this be the man in dark blue trench coat without his trench coat and trench hat? His face had rough stubble on it and his eyes were emerald green. He had thin lips and high cheekbones. And he was grinning playfully at her.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked and leaned back in his hair. He crossed on leg over the other.
"The man in the dark blue trench coat?" Sam asked meekly. Instantly the man began to laugh and almost fell out of his chair laughing. Watching him, she wondered if that meant no.
"Is THAT what you call him?" the man roared with laughter and now actually fell out of the chair. After a few more minutes, he sat up and quickly scrambled into his chair, grinning from ear to ear.
"My name is Esto." The man held out his hand. Confused, Sam held out her hand and held out hers. Was this the man in the dark blue trench coat? She was really confused.
"I-I'm Sam Sparks." She stammered and dropped her hand.
"I'm one of the man in the dark blue trench coat's henchmen. And just like you I hate the guy's guts. I'll be right back." Esto smiled and got up from his chair. He walked over to a door on the shadowed side of the room and opened it. She heard him call someone. Then she heard thundering footsteps of many people. What if he was calling the man in the dark blue trench coat right now? This had to be a trap. Just now he could have been lying to her face, that he hated his boss's guts!
Two other men stepped into the room. One was tall and skinny and the other was short and sort of stout. Both grinned when they saw Sam and sat in the leftover chairs. Esto sat down too.
"Sam, meet his other henchmen; Reg and Jag." Esto motioned over to the other henchmen. The skinny one was Reg and the short one was Jag. Both held out their hands to Sam and she shook them politely. Their hands were warm and welcoming. Now she was having second thoughts about this being a trap. They seemed nice—for now.
"We need your help." Reg spoke for the first time and he was addressing Sam.
"Oh, I need your help too, I guess…" she shrugged and wondered if these three hated their boss, then they could help her get the FLDSMDFR and arrest the man in the dark blue trench coat. Everything was looking up very slowly.
"We need to help us hand our boss over to the cops. He won't pay us." Reg told her.
"And he's too bossy and commanding." Jag furrowed his eyebrows.
"AND he murdered my younger brother." Esto growled.
"Your brother—?" Sam thought for a moment.
"Lucio. You knew him. He saved your boyfriend's life." Esto shook his head.
Sam remembered Lucio and sighed. He was a henchman too and she never knew. He had probably been disloyal to the man in the dark blue trench coat, so the man killed him. But he saved Flint's life; or the bullet would have gone through Flint's heart.
"I wanted to ask you guys to help with the same thing, and get the FLDSMDFR too." Sam looked each of them in the eyes and they nodded understandingly.
"We'll help you and you'll help us. But first we must disguise you." Reg got up and held a black bag at Sam. She took the bag and pulled the contents of the bag out. It was a black turtleneck sweater, dark blue pants, black boots, and a blue wool hat. It was the henchmen's uniform. They wanted her to become one. Grinning, she thought this could actually work. She would just wash off her make-up, tuck her hair into the wool hat and pretend to be a new henchman. They would overthrow the man in the dark blue trench coat and Sam would get the FLDSMDFR. Then she would go back to being a weathergirl and go along with life. Unless the man in the dark blue trench coat knew who she was under her disguise.
xxx
For two hours Flint had slept and when he woke up, so had Brent. Now his jaw and mouth muscles didn't hurt as much and he was probably able to talk. But his head still ached and he couldn't move it. In fact, he couldn't move the rest of his body. There was also a sharp pain in his chest. Nearest his heart. Every time he took a breath of air, a twang of light pain would blaze up his chest.
"Brent, call the doctor." Flint replied hoarsely. He didn't even recognize his own voice. It had changed somehow.
"You're talking!" Brent raised his eyebrows in awe and ran over to the button on the wall, near the door. When he pressed it a sharp buzz came out and the doctor or nurse was to come soon. They heard a voice over the intercom: Doctor Jetts please report to room #316.
"That's you. The doctor will be here shortly." Brent sat back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
Suddenly something hit the window across from the bed and Brent hopped to his feet. Alarmed, he ran to the window and Flint trailed him with his eyes. A look a complete horror spread through Brent's face and he pressed his nose to the window. Flint watched him and wondered what could be so bad. Then Brent stepped away from the window and Flint heard the sound of an ambulance outside.
"It's raining sushi. They pieces of sushi are HUGE! They are maybe bigger than a city bus! One just smashed a car outside and the ambulance came to save any hurt people." Brent gasped and turned to Flint.
"What have I done?" Flint muttered to himself and closed his eyes. It was his fault he had rescued the FLDSMDFR and it was his damn fault that he had fixed it up. Why had he fixed it up? Maybe because he felt bad for it. But he didn't feel bad to see his remote control TV running crazily around ChewandSwallow. Why couldn't he fix up the TV? Or what about the first version of the flying car? It was still on the bottom of the ocean. Why didn't he pull that thing out and fix it up? But then for that example, he had built the second version—this time with wings. But why the FLDSMDFR? Flint felt his head sink deeper into his pillow. I'm such an idiot. He thought angrily to himself. Now he had a serial killer chasing him and his invention was hanging somewhere in the sky.
Then there was Brent; who had decided to let Sam go and do the dirty work. Why couldn't she have waited till he was better and then they could have all gone? Because I won't get better anytime soon. Flint thought miserably.
The door opened and the doctor came in. He held a clipboard close to his chest and he ran over to Flint's bedside and sat down in one of the chairs. Brent turned away from the window and watched the doctor.
"What's wrong?" the doctor asked worriedly and his eyes traveled to beeping device beside Flint's bed.
"My chest hurts when I breathe." Flint rasped and watched the doctor jot something down onto his clipboard. Then the doctor got up and turned to the shelf over Flint's bed. He pulled up a small bottle with white liquid. Then he took a small cup off the shelf and poured some of the liquid into the cup. Slowly, he raised the cup to Flint and Flint gulped down the contents. Wincing at the taste, Flint shut his eyes and sighed. Deep sleep washed over him again. The liquid ran through his veins and reached his heart. It clenched at it.
Then the doctor left briskly and Brent watched him go. Narrowing his eyes, Brent wondered why the doctor wore a dark blue sweater under the doctor's coat. He remembered perfectly well, that the doctor had an orange shirt on before. That wasn't the doctor. If it was, then why had the doctor changed his shirt?