Ruby Redfort Fanfiction: Look Into His Eyes And Take Your Last Breath

A Dangerous Game

Ruby and Hitch sat at the very top of the semi-circular auditorium. Clancy was back safe at the hotel watching some TV, but Ruby couldn't help but worry. They were in an unknown country and he was without protection from Hitch. Clancy had reassured her that he wouldn't open the door for anyone, and Ruby trusted him, but she had still left him her word puzzle in case. Ruby and Hitch were at the Swiss Institute for Mental Health attending a lecture by the certain Dr. Charles Menhir. The auditorium burst into applause as a man with slicked back greying hair entered the room from the wings. He was small and slight with piercing blue eyes and a crooked grin. His nose, Ruby could see even from the top seats, was razor sharp and he had milky skin. He smiled and waved at the crowd, but she could immediately see he didn't want to be there at all. He walked to the lecture podium and stood on a box to boost himself up.
"Ladies and gentlemen." He said with nod, then noticing Ruby added
"Boys and girls." Ruby could see Hitch adopt at slightly more attentive manor next to her. This man was as suspicious of them as they were of him. This would make talking to him a lot more difficult. The audience meanwhile chuckled at his introduction then fell silent awaiting the rest of the talk.
"I am going to give a lecture today on trigger memories. These are common and generally not dangerous, but are completely fascinating. Trigger memories rely on the extremity of the emotions felt during that particular memory or that you have simply done something so many times. For this to happen, the moment has to have happened quite recently, say at most around a month before. The neurones in your brain will have more connections with other neurones as the memory as fresh and quite vivid. It is well known in the mental health world that memories become less vivid day by day as you get older and get further away from these memories." The entire crowd, even Ruby was drawn into his every word. Only Hitch seemed unimpressed.
"Another possible way a trigger memory happens is if you do something repeatedly. If I drink a bottle of beer everyday for a month, there will be lots of connections between the neurones in my brain, strengthening the memory. Now, there are several ways a trigger memory can be arisen. One, scent, two, taste, three touch, four, sound and five sight. A simple recreation of the moment can a huge affect on the person with the trigger memory. How many of you have experienced a trigger memory?" About half the room put their hands up. If Ruby hadn't been trying not to draw attention to herself, she would have put her hand up too.
"For my final part of this short lecture, I will say a few words to you all, all of which are common words that can arise trigger memories. Are you ready." The audience nodded eagerly.
"Excellent. Never. Awful. Amazing. Better. Worse." Ruby could see some people across the auditorium sitting back in their chair, blinking rapidly.
"Surprise." Ruby again, was back on the wall. With Clancy. Kissing him. With tremendous effort, she fought off the memory.
"Are you alright?" Asked Hitch. Then he laughed.
"You aren't having a trigger memory are you?" Ruby scoffed, quickly covering her embarrassment.
"Hate to disappoint you Hitch." The agent raised his eyebrows.
"I'm not disappointed." Meanwhile, Dr. Menhir had finally finished reading off the trigger memory list, and Ruby suddenly felt exhausted. She didn't want to be at this lecture in the middle of the day, she wanted to be with Clancy in their hotel room watching wildlife shows while they ate up room service. But she immediately dispelled the thought. They had a difficult task ahead of them. Charles Menhir bowed.
"Thank you very much for your attention ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Good afternoon." And to a thunderous applause Menhir left the stage. Ruby and Hitch were the first to stand and leave, most of the others in the auditorium wanted to let what they had just heard sink in. But Ruby just wanted to get far away from this place of nasty little tricks that could send your brain haywire. She advised Hitch they seek refuge at the canteen, to which he laughed and replied,
"Stomach before work, aren't you?"
"No," Ruby noted. "I need something to give me the stomach for work." Hitch smiled. Ruby was the most adult person Hitch knew, and Hitch knew a lot of adults. But in a demanding job like Ruby had, there were elements of her that shone through at times to allow Hitch to really see that she was only a child. It made him guilty, thinking of the things Spectrum had put Ruby through. They both ordered soup with fresh bread and sat down to run through the parts of the plan.
"We need to talk to Menhir." Hitch said. Ruby nodded.
"We will find his office and demand to see him now, since we are one of his clients and you will be suffering terribly from your mother and I's recent divorce and require counselling. We get him, grill him, then we're out. Simple." Ruby frowned.
"How are we gonna convince his secretary that we are his clients. Hitch winked.
"That's the clever part. I hacked onto the clinic's files." He slid a card pouch across the table to Ruby. She opened it to find a clean cut business card. It read, 'John Smith, CEO of Smith enterprises in the USA.' Ruby raised her eyebrows.
"There's a heck lot of Smith Enterprises back home." Hitch looked smug.
"My point exactly. And a lot of John Smith's. We are virtually untraceable. So I'm John Smith, and you are my daughter Roseline Smith." Ruby opened her mouth to object to the lame name, but thankfully for Hitch, food arrived.
--
Lunch was quickly devoured and Ruby and Hitch found Menhir's office without any problems. They knocked then entered. A pretty blonde secretary smiled at them from her desk at the far corner.
"Appointment with Mr. Menhir?"
"Two thirty." Said Hitch, and the secretary stood up.
"Wait one moment please." She entered the office. Indeed one moment later she was back and gestured through the door into the spacious room.
"Dr. Menhir will see you now." Hitch thanked the lady and held the door open for Ruby as they walked through. Charles Menhir was evidently a man of importance at the institute. The room was large and decorated with polished wooden furniture. In one corner there was a hearth, with a sofa and an armchair, presumably for Dr. Menhir himself. Ruby and Hitch walked up to Menhir's desk. He was bent over paperwork.
"Good evening Mr. Smith. Just one moment."
"Not at all." Said Hitch, adopting a Yankee accent (one of a large variety). He and Ruby sat on the chairs in front of his desk.
"Now Mr. Smith, I understand-" Menhir finally looked up from his work and gaped at Ruby and Hitch.
"You were at the auditorium." Hitch smiled.
"Correct."
"You aren't clients." Ruby was enjoying herself immensely.
"Also correct." She said.
"You are police." Hitch laughed.
"No, not at all. We dislike police as much as you do. Maybe more. We have come, Dr. Menhir, to enquire about your client history." Menhir looked outraged.
"I have a right to disclose my client information." Hitch slammed his palm on the table.
"You know who I am talking about Menhir. A man who was examined ten years ago, worked for an American spy agency, ring any bells?" Menhir looked nervous.
"You guys are crazy, hiring a little kid." Ruby smiled sweetly.
"Not at all, I am payed a full salary." Menhir turned a shade paler.
"He was crazy!" He hissed. "Raving. I can't believe he managed to contain himself so many months. He would have never worked another day and he didn't."
"Who?" Hitch demanded. Menhir was sweating profusely now.
"We aren't safe here. Meet me at your the French cafe down the road from here tomorrow at one. I will have proof then."
"Do I have your word?" Hitch growled.
"Of course." Squeaked Menhir. Ruby and Hitch rose.
"Thank you so much Dr. Menhir." Said Ruby,
"I feel a lot better now." They were shown out the room. As soon as they were out of the office, Ruby grinned at Hitch.
"For someone who is so nice all the time, you did an awful good job as the bad cop."
"Why thank you. You weren't so bad a being nice yourself, which is surprising." Ruby gave Hitch a shove.
"It's fun to do a role reversal from time to time."
"Hmm, for some reason I don't see being overly afraid of you." Ruby discreetly stepped on Hitch's toe and he groaned in pain.
"I don't like your chances right now mister." Ruby warned, and stalked off to the car waiting outside. Hitch shook his head and followed.
----
The next morning, Ruby was up at the crack of dawn. She launched into Hitch's connected room and found him sipping coffee and reading the paper.
"Look sharp Hitch, we gotta meeting in a couple of hours." Hitch slowly put down the paper, he looked tired.
"I'm Afraid our meeting has been cancelled." Ruby scowled.
"Why?" Hitch passed her the paper. Ruby suddenly realised he wasn't tired, he was anxious, maybe even slightly afraid.
The paper screamed the headlines, "Medical doctor Charles Menhir found shot in local lake!" Ruby swallowed. The room seemed to spiral around.
"Someone knows we are here. He or she knows that this information we were going to get would be dangerous. That person is our man, Ruby. But we don't know who he or she is. We are playing a dangerous game with a dangerous adversity." Ruby looked up at Hitch.
"Time to go home." He declared grimly.
----
Sorry I couldn't upload yesterday, Chinese homework is a nightmare. So to make up I posted a slightly longer chapter. I don't know if any of you caught the Doctor Who reference *wink, wink*.