Tyler passes us looking bemused, "Where is everybody, and where've the two TV Presenters gone that were in that pod thing?"
Of course, we ignore him and enter the storeroom. It's filled with even more blue balloons and in the centre is a large round cake, iced in white with the words: GENDER REVEAL iced in alternate pink and blue letters.
All around us are shelves filled with Starbuck's stock. We both turn around the space and on seeing nothing remotely suspicious I repeat Troy's words..."for in this room hides the truth."
Kade begins to pull boxes of coffee beans from the shelves and soon the floor is rolling in beans, their coffee aroma filling the space, "Something's, someone, some people are hiding in here, Tan, for sure they are."
On hearing this, I pick up the large knife that sits beside the cake, in case I need it to defend us.
Soon the shelves are empty of bean boxes and nothing is revealed, so Kade begins clearing the shelves of packs of Biscotti.
When the floor is covered in Coffee Beans and Biscotti Biscuits, and still nothing is revealed, Kade grabs me and kisses me passionately. When he comes up for air, I gasp, "Where did that come from?" I ask.
He pounds his chest, "From my heart," he says, pulling more boxes from the shelves.
When he's cleared another shelf he makes another love lunge towards me, but I stop him when my eye catches sight of something, "Wait – did you see that?" I ask, as he nibbles my neck, "I saw you looking irresistible."
I can't help but chuckle at kade's ardour at this most inappropriate of times.
Kade continues to nibble me when I see it again, "Kade, stop a minute, look over there," I say, pointing to a wall stacked high with cardboard cups.
Kade leaves my neck and looks over, "Take-out cups, they're so not sexy," he says, returning to nibble my neck.
I melt a little, as this really is The Kade of old, being goofy and amorous in the midst of serious situations – I feel like I've got him back – right back to the guy he was at the beginning of our courtship.
But when I see the wall of cups shake some more, I have to bring him back to our reality. I pull his face from my neck, "Kade, something's behind them cups."
He turns toward the wall of take-out-cups, "Hello, is there anybody out there?" he says, affecting a ghost-like voice.
I tap his shoulder, "Drop it Kade, this is serious," I say, brandishing the knife.
On seeing the glint of its razor sharp blade, Kade takes the knife from me, and brandishes it aloft in his clenched fist, "I said, is there anybody there?" he asks, his question now laced with a defensive aggression.
I grab a metal stool and stand behind him; both of us are primed for action.
But the cups stop moving and silence descends. Kade breaks the quiet with a whispered question, "What's going on here – any thoughts?"
My answer falls from me instinctively rather than with any real comprehension of what's happening, "The truth's hidden behind that wall of cups – and I have no idea what that truth is..." The cups begin a precarious wobble..."But whatever the truth is it wants out from behind that take-out-coffee-cup wall."
When the cups settle again, Kade moves another step forward and brandishes the knife higher, "If you're human, give us a sound, any kind of sound?" he asks.
We wait.
We hear no sound.
This time it's me that breaks the quiet, "What about you, your thoughts?" I whisper.
He pauses for a mere moment, before saying, "The brains behind this situation – isolated brains have been hastily hidden behind that cardboard wall, maybe the brains of the Three Surgeons who are now Transhuman and are operating this situation digitally."
I take a moment to process his thought, then articulate my response, "That's a good theory, but in practice, the Three Surgeons and their people wouldn't be so slap-dash as to abandon their brains in a Starbucks storeroom." I look at Kade and tighten the group on my stool, my weapon, "No – a human, or humans are behind that wall-a-cups."
Kade processes my response, then asks, "Then why won't they respond to my question?"
I swipe my free-hand across my mouth, "Simple – he/she/them are gagged."
Kade gently nods his head, "Yes, yes, yes." He moves another step forward, "Give us a sign, are you gagged?"
Immediately the cups wobble and undulate. Kade looks at me, "That's a 'yes' – for sure."
I nod my agreement as Kade moves closer – I grab him with my free hand, the stool becoming heavy in my other, "We don't know whose side he/she/they're on," I say, grasping my stool with both hands and brandishing it high.
Kade jumps up and swipes the cups with his left hand causing a couple of rows to tumble – this reveals a definite recess behind the cups.
Kade looks at me, and I nod, giving my agreement for him to demolish the wall.
In a flurry of arm swipes and Kade kicks, the wall comes tumbling down.
When we both see what's revealed within the small space, we put down our weapons.
Bound in sacking cloth, the figures of humans are slumped tightly together, with barely room to breathe. It's dark, and I can't quite make out how many there are. But one thing I am sure of, the slow undulating movements emanating from them tells me they're still alive – just about.
"They're struggling to breathe, Kade we need to free them – fast." We both get to work dragging them out.
There's only two.
They have fabric bags over their heads, bound tight with industrial tape at the necks. Kade works hastily with the knife on one, whilst I struggle to unbind the other with my hands.
Eventually Kade cuts the tape and he grapples with the bag, pulling it off with force.
We both gasp – it's Troy!
His mouth is bound tight and his eyes bulge with discomfort and despair.
Kade and I immediately switch places. I begin to peel the tape from Troy, whilst Kade cuts through the neck tape of the other, "You're gonna be okay Kel, hang on in, fresh airs on its way," he says, his hands shaking so much that it impedes his ability to remove the tape.
I switch over and take the knife, "Let me do this Kade, you see to Troy."
I cut the tape in one deft movement and pull off the hood – it's Kelly!
Not letting her distress distract me, I get to work on her mouth tape. Cutting a corner at her cheek, I peel a little away which makes her wince. Realising I have no choice but to go for it I say, "Hold tight Kelly this is gonna sting." And using all my strength, I yank the tape off in one clean sweep.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" – the rattle of her scream causes the remaining cups to fall.
As her scream subsides into replenishing breaths, Troy's releasing scream takes over.
But these sounds are music to Kade's and my ears.
Kelly sits up and rubs her neck, "Look at the balloons Troy, we're having a baby boy," she says, smiling through teary red eyes.
Kade wipes his eyes and comes to me, "Truth is you didn't betray us, they were holographic fakes of you out there in that pod," he says, hugging me.
Troy doesn't share our enthusiasms, "Now is not the time for celebrations. You may have seen a fake version of us, but the facts of this situation are real. The people who did this to us are in power – and they're in this coffee shop, with us."
I look towards the door that leads back into the Starbucks, "You're right Troy, but who ever was talking digitally through your holograms over-rode their system and led us to the truth of your abduction – we have an ally out there who is with us.
Kade inhales – "Right Tan, pump up – first things first, we got a physical fight to win – out in that there coffee store..."
