Suzie Drakes

The Red Eagle

Suzie Drakes

   She groaned and flinched at the bitter taste on her swollen tongue.
She sat up with a wince and rubbed her head, hearing the breathing of
someone else in the room. "I was going peacefully, you didn't need to
drug me."

   "Well, that's not true, is it?"

   She opened her eyes blearily, "And you're not Josiah. What? The
coward couldn't be bothered to keep an eye on his investment himself?
Where is the fucker?"

   "Attending to business." The man she didn't recognise replied, "For
now, there is water beside the cot. The plans he would like to look at
are on that desk. Get comfortable, and familiar. You won't be allowed to
leave this room for some time."

   He left, sealing a metallic door behind him.

   The room itself was nothing to be surprised about. It was a prison
cell, plain and simple. It was more furnished than most, but it was
still a cell. The toilet was nearby, and didn't even have a seat, was
metallic and looked to be low flush. She was sitting on a military cot,
and beside her was a cheap and nasty bedside table.

   She picked up the water and looked dubiously at what was probably a
mild painkiller for the headache. It could be another drug to influence
her in some way, but if they were honest about wanting her help on a
project, then it was extremely likely that they wanted her doing that
without a clear head.

   She took the tablet and swallowed it.

   Suzie walked over, holding her pounding head and spread out the paper
on the rickety and partly rotten desk. Seemed like they were quite
determined not to give her any tools she could potentially use to
escape, not that she needed any.

   As much as it would suck, she could probably rework her arm into a
makeshift weapon. However, with Kim nowhere in sight, and definitely in
their control, she did not have enough cards to play against McIntyre.

   Bastard.

   She'd been saying she was going to work on the project with him. He
didn't have to go and do... This. Not unless his goal was to keep it
outside of military hands. She wasn't sure why he would do that.

   Maybe just corporate over-protectiveness, which wouldn't explain the
urgency unless his backers were threatening to kneecap him. Or maybe he
wasn't planning on selling to any legitimate government. Which was a
more terrifying thought.

   Either way, until she could find a way to get her friend out, she did
not have the power in this relationship. They hadn't hesitated before
shooting Stephen.

   McIntyre had ordered his own brother shot, right in front of her.

   Now, she was in a windowless cell.

   The situation was as clear as it needed to be. She was right fucked.

— — —

Kim Nolan

   She'd stopped crying. Not because she didn't want to anymore, not
because she'd somehow managed to make herself feel numb, she hadn't.
She'd stopped crying because she had no more tears to cry.

   All she could do was rock against the wall, as the image of the gun
ripping through Stephen's throat hit her again and again and again. A
moment before the hot muzzle was pressed into her own neck. She could
feel it there, the blister that had formed when a weapon was jammed
against her to threaten her friend.

   She'd never heard Suzie that scared before, asking that they stop,
offering to do whatever it was that they wanted.

   And who were they?

   The little brother of the man she was dating. She had dragged Suzie
into this. Her boyfriend had been shot by his own brother, for a chance
to get at her.

   Kim didn't know what to feel more guilty about.

   That her boyfriend was somewhere out there, possibly alive, possibly
dead, or that her best friend was being forced into creating some
psychopath's dream weapon, and that she was the bait to do it.

   She was the reason Suzie was caught up in this.

   Kim jumped as she heard a crackle, followed by a whine, and she
looked around in terror.

   "Well, that took forever." Suzie's annoyed voice came from somewhere
overhead, "Freakin' old junk. Tapped into the intercom, Kim. I can see
you, too. Creeps put some cameras in our cells, hidden ones. Didn't need
to hide 'em. You're going to be okay. I swear it. You will be okay."

   She spread her hands in amazement, "The fuck!? How the fucking hell
am I ever going to be okay again, Suzie!?"

   "Yeah, I did say camera. Not microphone." Her friend replied, "Oh,
look. Seems I pissed someone off. Maybe we can get some answers. I'm
getting you out of this, Kim. Stay strong. I'll be there for you, soon."

   She sobbed weakly, chest heaving, as she felt even more scared than
before. If Suzie had been trying to buck her up, it hadn't worked in the
least. She didn't know how she could do this.

   She didn't... She didn't... Kim's thoughts spiralled off.