by Jade Powers
By the time three o’clock rolled around, Jana was dressed and in her sneakers. She carried her little backpack filled with a couple of books and knickknacks that she had gathered over the course of her weeks there. It wasn’t a lot.
Once more Gail asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Jana nodded. She said, “I don’t want to be a robot. They were going to make me do things like when the dolphins carried bombs.”
That was something Jana hadn’t learned from Gail or her mother. Gail felt a chill hearing those words come out of her sister’s mouth. The clock was closing in on three.
“Are you ready?” Gail asked in a super quiet voice.
Jana nodded.
Show time.
Jana scurried into the bathroom while Gail stepped out into the hall. The guards were both there, looking incredibly bored. At the angle they were turned, they would easily see Jana if she came out of the next room, even if she could manage absolute stealth mode.
“Hey. Do you guys want pizza? I’m starving and there is nothing to do around here. Are there any all-night pizza places around here?” Gail came out talking a mile a minute and moved away from the door in the opposite direction of the room Jana would sneak from.
Tully leaned against the wall as if another second of standing would kill him. He said, “Probably not. Maybe one of those twenty-four hour groceries will have pizza, even at this hour.”
“Do you know when they’ll be done with that guy I carpooled with? You want some pizza if I find it?”
“Sorry, no idea, and we can’t eat on the job.”
“That’s a shame. I bet you guys get really bored staring at blank walls. I’d be ravenous. I am ravenous.”
At least she had somehow managed to find a topic of interest, even if it was boredom. It wasn’t like Gail could pull off a So, how are the Cubs this year type of question.
With a chuckle one of the guys said, “Good luck finding anything open at this hour. Maybe a vending machine.”
“How long are you going to keep me here? I can’t exactly stay in that room with Jana. She needs to sleep.”
That was the code. Now that both guards were looking directly at Gail, Jana could slip into the hall and get to the elevator. It didn’t hurt that Gail was giggling and flirting, making small touches to the guard’s hands, while talking food.
Gail gazed directly into the eyes of the handsomer of the two guards, the one not Tully. He was probably in his thirties, definitely too old for her, but he had a strong jaw and nice eyes. It didn’t hurt that he was fit. So she focused her flirtation a bit more heavily on him while dangling a few smiles at Tully.
Gail didn’t miss a beat when Jana tiptoed out of the next room. She went three feet and then ducked into the next patient’s room. That was not something Gail had discussed with Jana. Frankly it made her a bit nervous because one of the patients was bound to be awake and watching, or there might be a nurse or family. Too many wild cards, but Gail couldn’t exactly discuss plans with Jana when she was talking food with guards.
“Well, Darlin’, we’re here until Stan comes up and relieves us. One of us could probably walk with you down to the vending machine for food...if you promise to behave.” The smile on that guy. Jeez Louise.
Gail twirled a finger around her hair and said, “And what if I don’t behave.”
It was gagworthy, especially the way that guys’ eyes lit up. At least she had their full attention, if not on her face then on her t-shirt, which she had tucked in tighter for effect before stepping into the hallway.
Both of the guards laughed, but Tully said, “The sweetie pie innocent-looking girls are always the ones.”
Jana had made it in and out of the next room now and was nearly to the nurse’s station. Gail had to keep it going. She said, “I don’t know where you got that idea. Talk about false advertising.”
“What? You do have that girl-next-door look going for you.” At least this time it was the thirty-something guy and not Tully who was pushing fifty. God, Gail would have to end this fast or she’d end up hating herself for the rest of her life.
She rolled her eyes and said, “Sure. And I bet you think I white out the screen, too.”
Both men laughed. Gail had heard enough blonde jokes to last a lifetime. The truth was that half the time that whole innocent me act was a scam. A lot of girls acted the stereotype so that men would fall all over themselves ‘helping’. Gail hated herself for coming onto two strangers. She told herself it was for Jana.
Jana was past the nurse’s station and into the elevator. The damn thing rang out, though. Everyone on the floor knew that someone was coming or going.
It was Tully who broke the flirtation and in all seriousness said, “Maybe that’s Stan now.”
Gail forced a smile. She wasn’t that great of an actor. She knew a hint of derision had slipped into her features. So she used it. She said, “I actually hate that guy. I know. I know. Get along with your coworkers, but I tell you if I had to work with him for more than a day, I’d probably have quit a long time ago.”
“He’s not so bad once you learn to ignore his speeches,” Tully said. He was leaning back against the wall.
Jana would be on her way to the parking garage. It was time to go. Gail said, “So someone mentioned a vending machine? I’d love to get some food.”
Tully and the other guard exchanged a look. They were wondering who got to go with the pretty blonde and who had to stay with the kid. The good-looking guard said, “Let me get this one. You can have the next one.”
Shrugging, Tully said, “Fine. But I’m going to the break room to sit down for a few minutes when you get back.”
Gail only felt slightly guilty that she had no plan of coming back. And if she didn’t, that other guard certainly wouldn’t either. The real question was what to do with said guard.
Gail had a plan...but it was fairly terrible.
Chapter 15
STAN’S IDEA OF PRIVACY was one of those creepy junk rooms with an empty bed and old medical equipment, the kind that you imagine an evil doctor using in his wicked experiments...which almost fit. Bryce thought maybe this was ‘Evil Lite’.
The worst part of hearing that door shut with finality was that Bryce had asked for this little conversation, and he had to come up with something good, something that made asking for privacy worthwhile, but wouldn’t completely cock up the plan to escape.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Bryce said, “Gail doesn’t know about all this secret stuff. She’s a legit scientist, so it might be a good idea to keep a lid on some of the darker stuff when she’s around. Hell, she didn’t even know there was a murder at the airport until you brought it up.”
“She didn’t seem so surprised to me,” Stan said. He had a curl to his lip that told Bryce exactly what Stan thought of him. He couldn’t think of a single way to use Stan’s ego at the moment. When it was all over, he’d probably come up with a dozen.
“Just saying. Kendall likes her, so he indulges her, but that doesn’t mean she’s in the loop or should be, so if you could just not mention the human experimentation, that would be awesome.” Bryce used the word awesome on purpose, hoping that it would annoy Stan.
If it did, Bryce didn’t know it. Stan studied Bryce, looking like a prof who had caught a student cheating during finals. “I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”
“What?”
Damn. What to do now.
“You heard me. You’re full of shit. So you want to start from the beginning and tell me what you’re really here for?” Stan blocked the door, leaning against it with his arms crossed and his lab coat hanging open, which of course showed off the gun.
“You gonna shoot me?” Bryce pointed to the gun.
Stan flipped his lab coat closed, “No. I’m going to turn you over to security. First, I’d like an answer.”
Bryce could go in any direction. He had to keep the topic away from Gail and Jana. He said, “Fine. I i
nfiltrated Kendall’s corporation. I work for McFarland. He said he’d pay me a thousand dollars if I could show him the blueprints for one of these gadgets.”
Stan scoffed at Bryce, “A thousand dollars? These are worth more than that.”
Bryce said, “Yeah, well I’m not stealing a device and I’m not going to do anything illegal. Just make a photocopy. But Kendall doesn’t trust me, and I’m beginning to wonder if the CEO of SpaceTech even exists. I mean seriously, whenever I talk to anyone, it’s always Kendall Kendall Kendall.”
“You’re a horrible liar,” Stan said. He pushed open the door. “You’re going to leave this hospital and never come back. If you ever show your face again, you’ll end up in an abandoned alley dead of an overdose. A thousand dollars isn’t worth your life.”
Bryce was in an empty room full of junk in a hospital talking about an accidental overdose with the guy would could set it up. He wanted to get out of there, but he couldn’t leave Gail and Jana. No way would he bring up their presence, not that Stan would forget anything. He struck Bryce as being on the OCD side of controlling.
As he walked through the door Bryce paused and said, “Okay. Let’s say I leave. What do I say to Kendall when he asks about this little excursion?”
Stan laughed. Bryce would have preferred an evil guffaw, but this was a laugh born of genuine surprise. Stan said, “I already called Kendall, when you pair first arrived. Funny, he never heard of you.” Stan checked his watch and said, “Kendall should be here any time now. Shame to get him out of bed. He’s probably going to want to shoot you himself.”
“Why offer to let me go after calling? Seems like it might upset your boss,” Bryce’s adrenaline had jumped a dozen notches when Stan mentioned Kendall’s imminent visit. Nothing had gone right. Bryce realized that he sucked as a criminal mastermind and should go back to being a student at the University of Miami.
“Kendall doesn’t seem to think you’re important.”
“I’m really not.” Bryce said.
Gail and Jana depended on him to get them out of this. And he had no idea how.
Stan opened the door for Bryce, a smirk on his face that never touched his eyes. It was the kind of smirk that made Bryce want to haul off and knock Stan on his ass. He let Bryce walk ahead of him. Moving suddenly, Stan plunged the point of a needle into Bryce’s arm, pushing the plunger all the way down. Stan said, “Guess you’re not going anywhere after all.”
Whatever filled that needle wasn’t fast acting. Bryce had time to turn and wind up, bringing his arm all the way back. With all his might, he punched Stan in the nose. He stumbled a bit, falling to one knee as the room spun. He forced himself up and ran toward the doorway, clipping it on his way through.
Bryce’s hand hurt like hell, and his stomach churned. He didn’t dare look back. He wasn’t steady enough on his feet. Hopefully he had knocked Stan out. Bryce didn’t dare stop. He forced one foot in front of the other until he was inside the elevator, hitting the button to the parking garage. He felt terrible. He could barely even read the numbers.
When the elevator opened, Bryce blinked twice before stepping through. Really, it was more of a fall. If anyone saw him, they would think him drunk. Bryce staggered to the car, grateful that he’d parked it so close to the elevator. He unlocked the back door and crawled in. He barely had the foresight to close the door behind him and lock it. He was so dizzy, it took him three tries to grab the door.
Once it was locked, Bryce curled up in the back. His head just spun and spun and spun. He sorely wished he would lose consciousness, but for some reason, Bryce kept looking at the edges of the windows turning round and round.
STAN GROANED AS HE opened his eyes. That little bastard. He’d have a shiner. Not hard to explain to patients really. He’d just tell everyone that someone came into the hospital high and delirious and he got in the way of a swing. Explaining to Kendall why he lost Bryce would be harder to explain. Looking at a clock, Stan realized he’d lost five minutes.
There were three elevators in the hallway. When Stan called one up, it came from the parking garage. It wasn’t necessarily the elevator Bryce used, but it was a fair bet he would try to escape.
Stepping out of the elevator, Stan half expected to see Bryce sprawled out on the pavement. He might have made it past the arm that blocked incoming cars from entering without taking a ticket, but Stan would imagine that Bryce would have collapsed somewhere on hospital grounds.
He walked through the parking garage, looking under cars and behind the concrete slabs in the middle for Bryce. He took a quick look outside, wandering around the grass and checking places where someone might think to hide. Nothing.
Kendall would be there at any minute. Stan wandered back into the parking garage wishing he had something concrete to share. He’d have to get security involved and check the cameras. Getting the boss out of bed in the middle of the night was never fun. In this case, the whole center had been put on alert since last week and told to contact Kendall if anything unusual happened. Not calling would have been worse.
As he stepped back into the parking garage, Stan heard the elevator chime. He jogged back to the elevator, surprised to see Jana cautiously stepping away from the doors. She was alone.
Time to sound parental. Stan said, “Where do you think you’re going, Young Lady?”
Jana jumped, her eyes widening to owl-sized proportions. She looked quickly from side to side, searching for an escape. Stan moved quickly, grabbing her arm before she could decide.
“I want to play on the grass,” With her free arm, Jana pointed to the grass.
Stan pulled her toward the elevator. “Well, you’re going back to your room. It’s the middle of the night. You’re not going outside.”
Jana started the siren wail that gave doctors and parents alike the cringes.
At moments like this, Stan hated kids. He said, “If you stop crying, I’ll give you the stuffed monkey.”
It was the only thing Jana liked about test time with Stan. He would give her this adorable stuffed monkey with Velcro paws and feet. Usually he could count on her good behavior as soon as the little monkey made an appearance.
Jana stopped screaming and looked at him. With her robotic glass eyes peering up at him, Stan would swear there was some cunning there in that little girl. She said, “I don’t want to be turned into a robot.”
“We’re not doing anything like that.” Stan said. It was a lie. They were actually testing a prototype that SpaceTech had acquired from CTV who had stolen it from one of the other players. Either Kendall had never found out the information or was unwilling to share.
“Where is Pippen?”
That was the name of the monkey according to Jana. Stan said, “In my desk upstairs. We’ll go now.”
His hand still gripped Jana’s arm. He would leave a mark. It was unavoidable and unfortunate. Jana stiffened her legs and Stan found that he was dragging her to the elevator. At least she’d stopped screaming.
“I’m not going to your office,” Jana said, her lower lip jutting out.
“You’ll go wherever I damn well tell you to go.” Stan used his most sinister, serious voice.
He thought it would work, up until the moment Jana kicked him in the knee cap, hard enough that he let go of her. She squirmed away and ran for the exit. Stan wasn’t about to go chasing after her. He hobbled to the phone and called Security. Someone else could drag her inside. He also mentioned Bryce and asked the guard at the monitors to check the last hour and see if a man matching the description was visible anywhere.
Satisfied that he had done what he could to alert security, Stan returned to his office on the fourth floor. He pulled a couple of ibuprofen out of his desk and swallowed them dry.
His decision had been made as soon as he left the parking garage. Stan logged into Mickey. That was his pet name for the mind-control prototype software. Jana’s implants were new and untested, but he knew the limitations. His plan should work.
From what Stan had heard, one of the competitors had managed to control someone completely, arms, legs, spinal twists. Jana was implanted for legs and of course, eyes. Stan planned to use that to advantage. He could see what she saw on screen and then control her leg movement to return to his office.
Pulling on the harness that would allow him to mimic the actions Jana would need to take, Stan turned on the device. This was the part Jana hated, but she’d only had to endure it for a few minutes on four occasions. Well, this was the true test of the hardware, whether he could force her upstairs and back into his office. Stan smiled as he turned on the controller.
GAIL DIDN’T KNOW THE first thing about seduction, which made this particular trip to the vending machine really hard. She knew that she needed to seduce the guard, but not enough to feel like she was cheating on Bryce. Gail’s heart belonged to Bryce. Somehow she needed to get this other guy out of the way, and her terrible plan involved a limited bit of seduction.
“Is there a quiet place, where...you know?” Gail asked, coming onto him as much as she dared. They had passed the nurse’s station and were near the vending machine. Her subterfuge was at an end. She needed to make the moves on him or buy a bunch of candy bars she didn’t want.
“This floor is too busy,” the guy said. Gail didn’t even know his name. She’d just forever refer to him as ‘that guard at the hospital.’ She didn’t wish him ill and hoped he wouldn’t get in too much trouble for what she planned.
Two vending machines sat side by side in one of those hollowed out rooms with just enough space to step in. Nothing there. Gail dumped a few dollars into the machine and grabbed chips, a candy bar, and two cokes. She handed the guard both cokes, the candy and the chips.
“Aren’t you going to have one?” He asked, indicating the Coke.
“Those are for you guys. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to drink.” Gail put her last dollar into the machine and hit the button for bottled water. Jana had been waiting a long time downstairs. Gail had hoped to get the guard into a storage closet and then shut him in, preferably blocking the door somehow. There was nothing around that would allow that.
