The Dinner Treaty

Chapter Eleven - Thwarting Good... Again

Yesterday's dinner was far from being a flop, but it irked me that I didn't know what my brothers had in store for PinK. Probably something to do with electricity.  Luke is worse than Dad at puns, an obvious hint like that would be right up his alley. Still, how bad could it be? With all due respect, they're idiots. I'm not going to worry about it. In all reality, it's probably a glorified taser.  I'd better get on to today's agenda - I'm meeting a man about some new gadgets I want him to create for me. He answered an online note I put out under the same fake name I used to recruit my look-a-likes. 

WANTED: Person able to create fully-functional gadgets from paper designs, discretion required. Payment in cash.

And as luck would have it, the person who replied lived in the city.  I arranged to meet him at his workshop, in half an hour. I glance at my phone. "Crap!"  The meeting starts in 5 minutes, actually. I leap off my bed and slip into my pink suit, checking everything I may need is in my satchel. Then, I fasten my mask into place. The new model is in black, with rose gold floral engravings. Then, I clip my boots together. I was sick of not being able to do shoelaces, so I put a magnetic clip on one side of the bow, and another magnet inside the shoe itself. Now, all I need to do is press the bow in the general direction of the second magnet. Easy! 

But, I don't have any time to contemplate my handiwork, not when It took 10 minutes to bike into the city center where I was due in 5 minutes. Thankfully, a bicycle wasn't my only mean of transportation. "Bye Mum!" I yell as I run out the door and jump into the skies. The wind is blowing northbound like me, and it helps me speed faster. I hate fighting the wind - my hair gets utterly ruined. It takes me two minutes to get there, and I land outside his shop with a minute to spare. I smooth over my hair and walk in the door, where the furniture looks like it was pulled out of an office magazine. "Hello?" I call out. "I'm here for my appointment." A muffled voice yells out from behind a door I hadn't noticed before. "In here! Come on through." I do as he asks and walk into the room. The man is nowhere to be seen. I'm immediately on alert. The room is bare and has concrete walls that look soundproof and strong. I turn to exit the strange space and I'm blocked by none other than Luke. He opens the door just a crack, enough for Carter and Mike to file in. Then, he locks it shut. 

I feel like kicking myself. I should have paid more attention, checked him out before coming. But no. And now I'm here, they're going to figure out PinK is me... I start to panic. This was not the plan. Since when do my brothers think things out? And since when I have been so slack about security? I'm broken out of my thoughts by a sharp, relentless pain radiating out from my exposed forearm. Taser Gun. I was right about that at least. The last thought makes me smile, right before I black out. 

I wake up tied to a chair. My arm is throbbing and I can barely move. I try to keep my breaths steady, and I don't open my eyes. Hopefully, I can gather some information before they know I'm awake. "What are we going to do with her?" asks a voice. No, not just any voice. Mike. "Simple. We just wait until she wakes up, unmask her, punch her a little and leave her to rot in a maximum security prison," states Luke. "Nice plan" comments Carter dryly, "If only someone hadn't held the button down for too long and rendered her unconscious."

"Shut up Carter, better safe than sorry with HER." Luke huffed. "Anyway," he said with a smile. "She's already awake." 

Damn. He must have noticed my change of breathing patterns. He starts to walk up to me, only to be disrupted by a massive rumble. The ground begins to shake like jelly and I hear screams float up from above. I shuffle over to the corner of the room, unnoticed by my brothers who are figuring out what to do. "We can't leave her here!" exclaims Luke. "We have to. There's a whole apartment block that's tipped over" said Carter with a cold face. "Practically a Jenga game gone wrong" quipped Mike. "Don't be such a worry-wart, Luke! She can't get out of this room. Now come on, there are people trapped in the rubble."

I almost sigh with relief when they leave the room, locking it shut. I hope it's not air-tight in here. That would be very very very bad. Not that this situation could get much worse. Another rumble echoes through the city, and I feel myself start to slide. I'm thrown across the room, still tied to my chair, and I slam into the wall, my cheek taking the brunt of the impact. That was going to leave a mark. Just as I right myself, My bones are rattled by a gargantuan thump. Dust fills the room, working its way into my lungs and making me cough loudly. Then I notice what had happened. This building had crashed to the ground, pushed over by the building behind. The walls had crumbled, and only the surviving ceiling kept me from being crushed. But that's not what matters. What matters in the beam of sunlight shining through the gap in the wall.  The chair's legs had broken off the seat, leaving me almost free. Free enough to escape the room before my brothers came back. 

With no small amount of difficulty, I climbed the pile of rubble in the corner and scrambled out into the light. The city was a cacophony of car sirens and screaming. I click my heels together and fly up into the sky, spreading a wash of pink dust over the abandoned street. I circle the city a bit before turning them off and flying home. I may not have caused this earthquake, but I can sure take credit for it.