Sam: Imprisoned (Book 3)

I Need You Now More than Ever

  "Get up," a voice yanked me from my sleep. I was still groggy so I was very confused about who was talking or what they were trying to say. The next thing I know, a large hand grabs my arm and pulls me off my bed and onto my feet.
  In shock, I gasped and tried to catch my balance on my feet that were trying to wake up. I almost fell to my knees but the arms caught me and supported my weight. It didn't take long for me to fully wake up and hold myself up. So, I shoved myself away from my guard and stumbled out of my cell. I rubbed my eyelids and tried to adjust to the light in the brightly lit hallway.
  Eventually, I reached the lunchroom door and I waited for the guards to open it up since it was locked. As I yawn and stretch, they opened the door and allowed me to walk in without shoving me in for once.
  When I looked up, I noticed Tony was already at the table with a bowl of something. I stepped toward another table to grab a bowl of-... salad? Tony never would've asked for something so boring and plain so I wondered if it was a joke to them. I raised and lowered my shoulders in a shrug then grabbed the food and sat down beside Tony.
  "What took you so long? I was beginning to worry," Stark confessed.
  Still drowsy, I gave a weak shrug and responded, "I guess it was harder to wake me up this morning."
  Which made Tony knit his eyebrows together in confusion, "Are you not getting enough sleep?"
  Although, a sigh slipped from my lips as I ranted, "How am I supposed to sleep? I'm locked in a freaking cell." Then, I decided to change the subject as I turned my head to face the adult beside me, "How's the project with Terrian going?"
  Stark sighed at the topic and replied, "Faster than I had wanted."
  "You can't stall? Or delay the project somehow?" I urged.
  "I've tried but he's smart and he can tell when I'm avoiding the work," Tony explained.
  However, I didn't see any problem with that so I pressed, "So?"
  "Sam, he'll hurt you if I don't help him," he pointed out. "I can't let that happen."
  I could tell by Tony's eyes that he was pleading for me to drop the subject so I turned my gaze to the food in front of me. My heart was pounding hard from all of the thoughts that were buzzing in my head and I didn't even feel like eating the rabbit food.
  A sigh sounded beside me so I turned my head and looked at Tony who was staring at his food too. It was quiet for a moment but he finally explained, "It's hard only seeing you once a day."
  The words stabbed into my heart and ached more than any physical pain could but I wondered, "Why?"
  "Because I don't know what's happening to you when I'm not there," he clarified. Then I noticed Stark clenched his fists, "I thought I could hold it together but I'm not doing so good."
  My eyes softened and I grabbed onto Tony's hand, squeezing it tight, "Everything will be fine, Tony."
  So he chuckled and shook his head, "I'm supposed to be saying that to you."
  "You have been saying that to me," I noted. "It's the only reason I'm still sane." After a couple of heartbeats of silence, I continued, "We'll get out of here soon. Just don't break until then, okay?"
  Stark finally connected his eyes with mine as he smiled then nodded.

  Lunch ended soon but it didn't really matter since I didn't eat anything anyway. I followed Walter back to my own cell then flinched when the doors closed and locked. Tony was right, it was almost impossible to only see him for half an hour every day. No matter how busy he was at home, he would always make time for family so it was weird seeing him less. Especially being in a place that I despised and never felt safe in, I needed Tony now more than ever.
  The usual hour passed so I followed my guard to the bathroom. Everything was normal; the clothes - that were the exact same as last time - were folded on the shelf, there were still shampoo bottles in the shower, and a clean towel was hanging on a rack. I stepped to the shower and turned it on but paused before doing anything else. After a few moments of silence, I pressed my ear against the door and listened.
  It was quiet at first and I could feel my heart drop in anxiety but then the familiar voices started, "She in?"
  "Just got in," the guard replied.
  There was an excited giggle as the feminine voice urged, "Come on."
  I waited for a couple of minutes until I couldn't hear another sound. Slowly and cautiously, I pushed the door of the bathroom open and peeked out. There were no guards patrolling or guarding the door so I took my chance to slip out. I stayed crouched low to the floor as I crept through the hallway. My heart felt like it was beating a million miles a second but I ignored it as I reached the door to the unknown.
  "Darn it!" I growled as I stared at the padlock that I hadn't noticed before. However, I took a deep breath and stared at the security device. There were three numbers that were smudged and looked used; 3, 4, and 9. I inspected it more and realized that the lock only took four numbers so all I had to do was figure out the order.
  3-4-9-3, I typed in but then a red light flashed and a single beep sounded.
  So, I sighed and tried another combination; 9-4-3-3. Alas, another red light flashed and another beep sounded.
  Of course, it took a couple of tries and every time I got it wrong my heart clenched in fear that an alarm would sound. However, that never happened as I pressed in another code.
  I pressed the dials, 3-4-3-9, slowly. Then there was a click and a green light. I gasped quietly as I pulled the handle down and pushed the door open. The door moved ever so slowly as I peeked into the room but it was dark and empty. There was a weight lifted from my shoulders as I sighed in relief and slid myself fully into the room. Quietly, I closed the door behind me and examined the room. It would've been hard to see if the blinds from the windows weren't slightly opened.
  My eyes dragged around until they connected to exactly what I was looking for. On a table, sat my metal bracelet with the light dim which meant it was turned off so no signal could be transmitted or received. Then, in the corner, I noticed Tony's suit was upright and leaning against the far wall. I huffed then stepped closer and examined it.
  Suddenly, there was a beep then a click. The sound was familiar as I realized it was someone punching in the codes on the keypad. My breath hitched as I glanced around the room while the doorknob turned. Immediately, I noticed a closet door so I rushed into the small room and crouched down while holding my breath. 
  Lights flickered on in the room then there were footsteps. Out of the small crack that the closet door produced, I noticed two guys walking into the room.
  "Huh. What do you know? They're still there," one of the guys snapped sarcastically.
  "Hey, be lucky you get this job. Ya know Jeff's complaining about his?" the other man had a Boston accident.
  The guy chuckled, "Yeah, I bet. This job's pretty easy."
  "Could you imagine having Walter's job?" the guy from Boston pointed out.
  "Good, god! Have you seen his nose?" the guard cracked up.
  However, the other one got quieter, "Don't let him catch ya sayin' that."
  "Ah, I ain't scared of him," the guard challenged. "His job isn't even that hard."
  "His hours are good, too," the other man pointed out.
  The man scoffed, "Most people's are... Hey, did you hear 'em wanting to hire more guys?"
  There was a pause, "You're kidding?"
  "Most of the guys go home at night so they're tryin' to find people to work the night shift," he explained.
  "Doesn't sound too hard," the other noted.
  From the crack in the door, I noticed the guy shrug, "Well, especially since a lot of people are gonna be gone by tomorrow."
  "What do ya mean?" the man with the accent questioned.
  "Tomorrow's Saturday. Everyone's going to want a day off. It'll be a ghost town, especially at night," the guard explained.
  "Isn't that dangerous?" the other guy wondered.
  So, the man shrugged, "I mean the kid only needs one guard. Most of the men are near Stark, anyway, but it's not like he's going to try anything."
  There was a gruff groan, "Gah, the guy's a softy."
  "Hey, it's his kid, man. Cut him some slack," the man argued. There was a pause then he changed the subject, "Anyway, you should stay for Saturday."
  "Why? So I can make sure there aren't any spiders on the suit?" the guy with the accent challenged.
  Then there was a chuckle as the other guy stated, "You're on call anyway."
  "That's if something happens," he made the point.
  Before another conversation could get started, there were a couple of bangs on the door. So, the two guys paused then opened the door.
  A new, unfamiliar voice cut in the room, "Hey, they need you guys in the front."
  So the light turned off and the footsteps got quieter as they jogged out of the room and through the hallway. I waited for a few more moments before sliding out of the closet. I turned my attention back to the suit but knew that I couldn't leave, not now. It would be too dangerous for me and Tony so I had to come up with a better plan. The conversation that the two men had really sparked ideas in my head but I had to focus on getting out now.
  So I opened the door and peeked out. There wasn't anyone out in the hallway so I stepped out of the room then back toward the bathroom. I took one more look around then I raced into the bathroom. The water was still running which assured me that no one knew I was gone. This time, I took a quick shower so it wouldn't seem out of the normal since I was gone for a while.
  Eventually, I turned the shower off, dried my body and hair, then slipped the new clothes on. I waited for a few minutes until I heard the familiar voices.
  "See? No one knows you were gone," Marie's voice sounded, flirtatiously.
  "Maybe we should do this more often," my guard chuckled.
  I rolled my eyes but waited a few minutes until I slipped out of the bathroom to notice Marie walking down the hall. Walter was watching her leave - his gaze definitely watching her figure - until I interrupted, "I'm done."
  The man snapped his gaze down toward me with an agitated glare. He motioned with his head so I started walking toward my cell. I shoved my hands in my pockets then stepped into my cell. The large, metal door shut behind me and I was left in silence to figure out a plan.

  Hours passed and I was forming an idea. I stood from my bed and slammed my fist against the door and yelled, "Hey!"
  It took a few minutes but a guard pulled open the door, "What?"
  As a reply, I smiled innocently and asked, politely, "I need something to read... Something big."
  The guard blinked a few times before wondering, "Like...?"
  Which made me shrug, "Like... a dictionary?"
  "A dictionary?" the guard tested.
  So I nodded my head, "Something to keep me from crawling on the walls."
  There was a slight pause but he finally replied, "Alright, I'll see what I can do."
  "Thanks," I grinned and watched the door close.
  It wasn't long before the lights turned off and I hoped that I would get the book tomorrow. For now, however, I knew I needed to get some sleep so I could keep my thoughts straight. I laid down on my bed and closed my head. Even though my head was racing, I was so exhausted from the lack of sleep that blackness consumed me quickly.