Misconceptions pt. 22
Natalie's hand stretched out and slid over the cold, rusted metal, leaving a finger trail as she moved. She sighed, surprised to find herself walking through these corridors again. This place brought her to Llanview, but it didn't hold good memories, just difficult ones. Her feet shuffled over the dirt below, taking her further into the maze of empty cars.
She stopped quickly, listening to the crisp air around her. Get a grip, Natalie! Her nerves were working overtime. Of course, that could be because she was alone in a train yard with an entire police force on her ass? She sighed again, reaching out and climbing up a nearby metal rung. She hopped into one of the closest cars and took a comfortable seat.
Her heart was pumping wildly in her breast. She left her brother behind. She left him, and now he was in custody for doing nothing more than helping her out of yet another mess. Her entire life was a mess.
A breeze blew past, cooling her skin for a brief moment in time. She closed her eyes and saw piercing blue sapphires looking back. Damn that man! she cursed, hating Agent McBain with everything in her. This was all his fault! He tricked her! He seduced her, and now Rex was paying the price for her stupidity.
But even as such thoughts swirled through her brain, she knew they were all lies. Every last one of them. None of this was John's fault. It was hers. Someone was out-to-get her, and everyone connected to her was paying a steep price. She dropped her head and rolled the stiffness from her shoulders with tiny circles. Her legs dangled into the air from her high perch.
"So what the hell now?" she asked aloud. Her voice seemed haunting here, taking its time as it drifted away. She felt very, very alone. Her fingers wrapped aroundthe tiny phone, and she clutched it. She wanted to call him and hear his voice, but her anger was still fresh and unforgiving so she would wait. She would take this quiet opportunity to rest, and maybe to find a way back to her life, because she was getting tired of being the victim.
Rex ran his hand through his hair awkwardly, annoyed that they still haven't taken the handcuffs off yet. He leaned on the cold, grey table and scanned the room. He remembered it well, but he sure hasn't missed it. His blue eyes focussed on the mirror. "As much as I love to look at myself in the mirror, can we get this over with?" he asked, sighing and leaning against the straight back of the metal chair. No one spoke to him. No one came. He stared hard at his reflection for another moment, and then fixed his stray hair.
The door opened and he grinned, thankful to be getting somewhere. "Hey, buddy?" he greeted warmly, watching as the cop set a cup of hot coffee on the table.
Tate frowned. "Shut it, Balsom! Just take the damn coffee."
He wrapped his fingers around it, grateful for the warmth and for the caffeine. "So?" he asked, staring at the uniform expectantly. "Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on, or what?"
"You know, I always knew it was a matter of time before you ended up back in here. What the hell were you thinking?"
Michael stood in the open doorway, leaning casually against the frame. He was watching the two banter back and forth, but found himself growing impatient. He cleared his throat. When they spun in surprise, he grinned. "That coffee better be for me, Tate," he said evenly, not actually caring that it wasn't. They didn't need to know that.
Tate swallowed and quickly shot Balsom an angry look, before squeezing past the Chief and leaving in a hurry.
Michael stepped into the room and shut the door. "How you holding up, Rex?"
Rex blinked. "Who me? I'm great! And you, how are you doing?"
He frowned. "Not so great." His legs carried him around the table so that he could look the kid in the eye while they talked. "Your sister is a pain in the ass!"
He couldn't help it, he grinned. "Yeah? I never really noticed that before."
"Just tell me where she is, Balsom. The longer she's out there, the worse it is for her." He licked his dry lips. "The worse it is for everyone."
Rex leaned forward. "She didn't do it."
Mike pulled out the chair and sat down. "Everything points to her. She did do it."
He shook his head, and took a good long look at the man across from him. He was hard and righteous, and really believed that he was doing the right thing by railroading Natalie. He sat straight suddenly...railroading? Is that where she went? He felt a ball of butterflies flapping in his gut. Where the hell is the other McBain? "You know, you're nothing like your brother?" That got the guy's attention.
"What about my brother, Balsom?" He did not want to discuss John at all. His nerves were out of control now.
"It's just weird that you both have the same mannerisms and," he paused grinning, "lack of fashion sense, but are nothing alike. I mean, you're both cops, both stubborn asses who think that they're right and everyone else is wrong, both arrogant, and yet...?"
Mike wanted to punch the little punk in his smug mouth. "What?"
"You're polar opposites at the same time. Like I said, weird!" He stopped talking, waiting for whatever his rant would bring, would cost him, but he needed to stall and he needed to keep the focus off of his sister.
Michael sat back, holding the gaze of the kid across from him. The silence was filling the room, making it more uncomfortable by the second, and that's what he wanted. Balsom was a twirp who talked a good game, but he wasn't one to hold up in silence. He'd need to fill it, and that was good. That was how he was going to get him to slip up. He just hoped that when he did, it would be about Natalie and not his stupid brother?
"Look," Rex said, "why don't you just release me already? I haven't committed a real crime, I was just helping my sister. You've got nothing and you know it?"
Mike smiled softly. "I've got you for interfering in a police investigation." He leaned forward with confidence. "I've got you for aiding and abetting a wanted fugitive. You two were stupid enough to take the computer, which we have back now by the way. That could lead to accessory after the fact charges." He was enjoying the look of irritation on the young man's face.
Rex scoffed, shaking his head. "Yeah well, I said a real crime, didn't I?"
"The only way you're getting out of here, Balsom, is if you help us find our suspect."
He laughed. "Your suspect? My sister! That's not gonna happen, McBain. Sorry." They continued to stare at one another. "So? We done here?"
Michael stood. "I'm done here. You? You're going to be behind bars for quite awhile." Then he walked out of the room, leaving the boy alone for the second time.
The blue cement hallway was empty, and he was grateful for that. He needed to find a way out of this mess and soon. Something bad was coming, he could feel it? It scared him to death. It made his insides coil. Something bad was coming, and it was coming for his brother. Damn it! He headed back upstairs, anxious to talk with his dad.
"I don't know why you're so surprised, Thomas? He's your son." Eve sat across from her husband and smiled. He was aggitated and upset, and it served him right.
He frowned. "You know he's your son too?"
"Not when he behaves like this, he isn't." She shook off her amusement, and stretched over the desk. Her fingers grabbed his gently. "Look, I don't know what else we can do here, babe? He's not going to make this easy on us."
Tom stood, leaning forward. "This is about him, damn it!"
She knew that all too well. The pit in her stomach was a constant reminder. "Well," she began lightly, "you have to admit he's good?" She could see that he was never going to admit that, not ever. "He snuck out of here pretty effectively, even with Jason as his shadow."
He sat down slowly. "You know, you could show a lot less appreciation for his ability to screw up his life!"
Eve blew out a breath. "Alright, so now what? Where do we start to find him?"
"I know exactly where he is?" a voice interupted.
Michael walked into the room and sat beside his mother. "We've got the computer." His hands flattened over his thighs. "And Balsom."
Eve's eyes widened in surprise. "And Natalie?"
Mike shook his head.
"Where and how, Micheal?" Tom asked, evenly. He stared at his son expecting his answers.
He quickly ran a hand over his face. "John." Both sets of eyes were watching him closely, and he squirmed slightly. "Cam and I followed the hacker information. We went to the docks, and found John already there."
Thomas was sure his head was going to explode from the pressure. The implications of John already being there did not bode well for his son at all. "Tell me the truth, Mike. Did he let her go?"
Mike didn't know, not for sure, so he shrugged. "He claims she wasn't there when he arrived, but that's all I know."
Tom stood again. "Well, get his ass in here now!"
He rose from his seat slowly, staring at his angry father and boss. "He's not here, pop. He's still at the bait shop with the computer."
"Actually," a new voice corrected, "I'm right here."
Everyone turned to find John and Jason in the doorway of the Commissioner's office. They walked in, joining the heated discussion.
John scanned the room, meeting one set of angry eyes after another. "So, shall we get down to it?" He was tired of pretending, and he was very tired of being on the defensive. That was going to stop now.