Within My Mind I Suffer

Breaking Out

Alex was in Ellie's house, pacing around. They both knew that it would be futile to drive after Ryan who would no doubt do something to Fawn right in front of them if they managed to catch up to him. Ellie had her phone glued to her ear as she frantically talked into it, muttering things that Alex didn't quite catch as his mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts and worries. What if Ryan killed Fawn? What if Alex would never see her again? He ruffled his hair while shaking his head. Ellie snapped her phone shut and grabbed Alex's wrist. 

"I called Mike and he has people posted all around the area, cops of all kinds, including rogues, a few gang members, and other people you don't need to know about. So be assured that we will find Fawn soon." She said in a firm tone of voice, putting a reassuring hand on Alex's shoulder. But Alex knew there was a small chance that they wouldn’t and that fact unsettled him.

"Follow me." Ellie demanded, turning on her heel and walking towards a part of the house that seemed like an ordinary room full of books. Alex looked suspiciously at Ellie who pulled on a book near the top right corner of a bookcase. The wall lifted up, revealing a dark tunnel. Was Ellie serious? Thought Alex. This was the most cliché way to hide a lair. 

"Is there something that I don't know about you?" Alex asked, his voice echoing through the tunnel as he walked behind Ellie, noticing little cameras following their every move. 

"The little you know, the better," was Ellie's curt response. She stopped in front of a door and pressed on it in certain places before it finally opened. Inside were weapons of all sorts, wigs, masks, make-up, and every type of vehicle you could think of. One in particular caught his eye, a motorcycle that looked oddly familiar. He walked over to it and trailed his fingertips along it. It was his bike. But how? 

"I took it before your dad could take it and destroy it. I told him that it was crushed in the race before you went to jail." She said as she looked at Alex's happy and excited face. 

"Thank you, Ellie!" He yelled happily, grabbing her in a bear hug and spinning her around. He worked on it himself, modifying it with the money he won from the races. He was about to get on it, but Ellie grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him away. "We have no time!" She hissed, dragging him towards the cosmetic part of the lair. 

"Look, I have a few double agents around the place, including people that are close to Ryan. We could disguise ourselves and pretend to work for them. Now, stand still." She said as she began to style Alex's hair differently. She started messing around with his facial features, plastering pieces of who knows what on his face, and using different types of make-up to contour his face to her liking. She rummaged through a drawer and held out a pair of contacts, "Put these on, they'll make your eyes a dark brown, and also, put these clothes on." She said as she threw the clothes at him and turned around to give him some privacy as she started working on her own disguise.

When he was finally done, he looked at himself in the mirror and touched it to make sure that that was really him. When his fingers touched the smooth, cold surface of the glass, he brought his face closer and stared at his new features in awe. He had a short beard and mustache which made him look at least five years older. There was a nasty looking scar on his cheek which complimented his dark, almost soulless looking eyes. He had to admit, Ellie did an amazing job. The muscle shirt and jeans completed the look. 

"You did a -" Alex stopped and did a double take. His eyes bulged as he looked at Ellie, staring her up and down. She noticed him staring and flashed him a grin. She had on a short brown wig and she contorted her features so she looked like a man in his twenties. The loose shirt and baggy jeans didn't show any sign of her feminine curves. 

"How did you do that?" Alex asked, still not believing that the person standing in front of him was Ellie.

"Ace bandages and years of experience." She responded with a wide grin but then it fell into one void of any expression except seriousness. She walked up to Alex and pinned something on the inside of his shirt and gave him something else about the same size to put in his ear.