Mr Monk and the House of Phobias

by Monkwriter777

Adrian and Natalie are forced into a dangerous game of life or death. Adrian must save Natalie's life. But first he must face some of his phobias head on. The clock is ticking. Originally written in 2009. Each story is a progression of Adrian's growth. Please read and review. First one was Mr. Monk Changes His Name. I don't own Monk. Sure could use some reviews.

2. Chapter 2

Mr. Monk And The House Of Phobias

CH. 2

Adrian Monk became vaguely aware that he was lying on something cold and hard. He felt like he was in an odd position on his side as if he'd been tossed there. Yes, that's how it felt, like he had been tossed. No. dumped. As he tried to move, his eyes fluttered open, and the room spun around him. A quick wave of nausea hit him but was quelled as he took a deep breath. He winced as pain coursed through his neck. He slowly sat up clutching the spot on his neck where he thought he would find a tranquilizer dart. It was gone. Small favor.

Natalie came to his mind as the sedative cleared. Where was she and was she Okay? A wave of panic washed over him. He forced it back down. He moved his neck around to loosen up and as he did, he caught site of a strange structure. Next to where he was now sitting was a platform holding a glass room of sorts. He glanced around at his surroundings and discovered that he was in an empty but bright, dull gray warehouse. He looked back at the room and to his astonishment and concern, Natalie was inside that room.

She was still unconscious and just as unceremoniously dumped there as he had been. Adrian staggered over to the room, ascending the two steps that made the platform, and desperately inspected the glass. There was a padlocked door and the room, top to bottom was sealed tight. Adrian looked at it, yanked on it. It was secure. He walked around the whole platform, trying to make sense of what was taking place.

"Natalie!" he called to her, smacking, then knocking on the glass. He got no response at first. "Natalie!" he called louder. This time there was a slight stir. She mumbled softly. "Natalie, take a deep breath, shake it off!" he instructed urgently.

Natalie began to awaken. Slowly her eyes opened. She saw Adrian looking at her with compassion, crouched beside her. She reached out to touch his face, but something was wrong. It startled her when her hand hit hard glass rather than the smooth skin of Adrian's face. "What?" She slowly sat up, groggy and confused. "Adrian?" She touched the glass again where Adrian's hand rested. "Adrian, what? Where?" She wasn't able to finish her sentences. She held the left side of her face, feeling dizzy.

"Natalie, I don't know what's going on yet." He sat down, next to her, leaning against the glass barrier that separated them. "You're in a locked room. I don't know why." He spoke with urgency and concern.

"Well, find out, please!" she urged back with fear as she began to look around.

"I'll try. Just let me get my bearings."

"What happened?" she asked.

"We were hit with tranquilizer darts," he answered.

The memory came back to Natalie. She touched her arm, wincing at the bruise she knew was there. "So it was, a trap?" she whined.

Adrian stayed seated against the glass near her. "I don't know." Natalie looked at him with concern. "Yes, I think it was," he replied, hoping to get her confidence in him restored even though it was only a brief retreat. "Let me look around and see what I can find," he suggested, not really wanting to leave Natalie.

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "Adrian, Hurry. I'm scared," she pleaded.

"I will," he assured her, quietly looking into her eyes. Adrian then jumped off the platform and scanned the warehouse.

It was the cleanest warehouse he'd ever been in. Like someone had swept through with a pressure washer. He noticed there were seven rooms. He tried the doors on a few of the rooms, carefully using his handkerchief, and found them to be locked. With a frown on his face, he glanced at Natalie who watched helplessly from her glass cage. He moved quickly to the main entrance of the warehouse and found that this door too was barred and locked. There had to be some answers somewhere. Eventually he found one.

To the right of the main doors was a small office. Cautiously Adrian investigated it. This door was unlocked. He pushed it open and entered. It too was very clean. He mentally congratulated the guy who cleaned the place. Inside the room was a simple standard-issue, gray warehouse desk. Adrian walked over to it and found a very short, typed note with a key. The key had a tag with number "1" typed on it. The note read:

NEW YORK ANGEL UNDERGROUND.

WHO WEARS THE CROWN?

ALL BARS BUDGE,

SIX CLUES TO PUZZEL.

I'M YOUR JUDGE!

Adrian studied the note hard trying to learn the meaning. He remembered, New York so long ago. The Crown? He wracked his brain. Was it simply a reference to superiority? 'All Bars Budge'. That was a reference to his and Dale Beiderbecke's discussion as to whether or not a prison cell could hold him. Adrian told him he was confident they could. Then Adrian's heart sank. Had Dale somehow escaped or bought yet another greedy politician off for his freedom? He scanned the room for something more. Crouching down he peered across the edge of the desk to the surface for pressure marks. Perhaps their captor had written it here. No. The desk was virtually unblemished.

"I'm your judge," repeated Adrian to himself fingering the key. The doors in the warehouse all had numbers on them. Seven doors in all. Seven was not a number he fancied. As he stood, he scanned the walls and ceiling. On the far, right wall in the corner he noticed an odd site. A single surveillance camera.

Not finding a chair in the room to stand on he shoved the table into position and climbed aboard. He could just reach it now. It was warm to the touch, so it was running. He was being watched. With annoyance, Adrian yanked its power supply. Suddenly alarms went off in the warehouse and he ran out of the room, looking around for more cameras. His search was interrupted by Natalie's cries.

"Adrian!" She called desperately.

Adrian ran to the glass. "Natalie, what's the matter?!"

"I don't know, there's a strange sound in here," she urgently gestured to her surroundings.

"I can't hear it. What does it sound like?" Adrian quizzed.

Natalie listened closer, looking at her surroundings. A realization hit her. "Oh, my God, like a, like a . . hiss." She grabbed both sides of her head in a panic.

Adrian knew there were no snakes in the room with her and the same realization hit him. The air in the chamber was being sucked out.

"Natalie. You need to sit down and relax!" Adrian instructed desperately.

"I'm scared," she whimpered.

"I know but save your breath. No more talking." He watched her lean against the glass then jumped off the platform and yelled into the warehouse. "What do you want from me?!" he cried at the cameras he knew were there, but he hadn't found them yet. Suddenly the alarms stopped. Adrian sighed heavily. He remembered the key in his hand and strode to the first door. The answer had to be in there.