Unexpected

The Protocols and Disguises of an Outing

The truck drove for a short while, probably exiting our subterranean hideaway, as after a few minutes, through the window I was seated by, I felt the warmth of the summer sun hit my skin. An irrepressible smile crossed my face and I leaned towards the window to enjoy more of the warmth. The three of us inside had been sitting in silence until this point when Barton spoke up.

"Now, Penelope." He began in his monotone fashion, "Protocol. This is a pleasure trip for your and Loki's enjoyment, and it should be treated as such. This is not an opportunity for you to escape and you should make no attempt to do so. If you call out, make signals to anyone, get a policeman, try to run away, or do anything else so as to escape or alert anyone of your prisoner status, you will be caught and sent back to headquarters and no further trips will be offered to you. Do you understand?"

I cannot claim that I hadn't thought of it. Even though I didn't exactly always feel like I was, Barton's comment stabbed me with the truth once again, I was a prisoner. I'd been kidnapped and although I was sometimes comfortable while reading with Loki or chatting with the enthusiastic Doctor Selvig, I was a prisoner none the less. Of course breaking into a run and trying to lose them that way hadn't crossed my mind, Barton was a government agent of some sort, muscular and athletic; I wouldn't stand a chance at outrunning him. And calling out? My blindfold would become a gag in less than a second. But the police must be watching for me, my grandparents and friends must have tried to do something to find me over the last week, so if I just so happened to bump into a policeman, or whisper 'help' to some passerby, or try some subtle way to get noticed and helped it wouldn't be too difficult to gain attention. However, it was clear that any attempt found suspicious would send me straight back to the brick and cement headquarters and sunlight would become a distant memory.

"I understand."

This short conversation sobered my previously elated feelings brought on by the feeling of the sun rays and the truck fell into quiet again, or at least, the silence on the inside of the truck. As I sat blindly I could hear the sounds of the hustle and bustle of life, city life to be exact. I had lived in New York City long enough to know all the sounds of a city, the traffic, and people. After a few minutes of this silence in the truck, I fished in my pocket for my phone and earbuds and set my music on with one earbud in my ear and my other ear open to listen to the sounds around me. I took notice of every time we stopped and every turn, trying to memorize the way, but it was in vain. I wasn't trained for anything like this and soon all the turns and stops became jumbled. Only a handful of songs had played, 'Embers' by Owl City, 'Comatose' by Skillet, 'Citizen Soldier' by 3 Doors Down, 'My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark' by Fall Out Boy, and 'Yellow' and 'Spies' by Coldplay before I felt the truck pull to a complete stop.

I heard the doors opening and I quickly put away my phone and fumbled with my own seatbelt, unlocking it just as my own door flew open. A cold hand took mine and helped me out of the car, and then I heard Barton's voice behind me as he untied my blindfold, "Remember what I said." I nodded my head slightly, which didn't help in him getting my blindfold off, and in a moment I could see again. It was a bright, blue skied day and I had to blink a few times to adjust my vision for the brightness. Looking around I saw that we were in a big city as I had thought while we were driving, tall buildings of shops and businesses of all sorts lining the cluttered streets. While I was looking around, Barton climbed back into the truck and drove off without so much as a goodbye, leaving Loki and I on the sidewalk.

"So. Where are we?"

Loki gave me a small smile, "I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

I gave a dramatic sigh, though inwardly I was truly disappointed, and put my hands on my hips. "Okay then. What do you want to do?"