Espionage / Mileven AU/

VIII. Canary

Mike's POV

I sat there, opening my eyes, barely waking up. I sat in a chair in the middle of a vague and vacant room. The walls seemed to be rotting. The paint was peeling off and the whole room was dingy and obscure. The floors were damp from a leak in the ceiling that had let some rain in. My hair was a complete mess, and I felt overall achy. I tried to get up, only to realize that I was tied down. My hands were tied behind my back with cable ties, as were my feet to the legs of the chair. I tried to move and jerked around as much as I could, but the ties began digging into my skin, causing me to bleed. I let out a groan of rage. 

How could have been so stupid? How could I have let this happen?! Jonathan, someone I thought I could trust, was behind this. I was careless, and now I had gotten myself captured. One of El's best spies, Maxine, was also missing now. Worst of all, Jonathan was close to my sister. He was the mole, inside of my agency. I needed to warn her, but I couldn't while I was trapped here! I didn't even know where I was!! I just hoped that El and the others wouldn't fall into the same trap that I did. 

I let out a sigh and sat there alone in the void room. The sound of footsteps is now audible against the sleek ground. I could barely see the outline of a silhouette of someone standing in the dark, watching me. I looked up and saw them, but I couldn't make out who it was. I thought it was Jonathan, but suddenly, the dark silhouette began to pace in the darkness, and the voice that came out was female. She began whistling, pacing in the dark. Something whistled back. A canary.

I watched as she took a step out of the darkness. Her face was not visible, and she wore a long dark trench coat, the hood on to protect her from any leaks, along with hiding her face. On her arm stood a little yellow canary.
"Do you know what canaries were used for in the old days?" She asked rhetorically.

I didn't say anything. I just watched her. 

"Miners used canaries to ensure their safety. They would carry them into mines, and if the canary died, then they knew that they had to leave because of monoxide," She said, continuing to make her way around the room.

I still didn't say anything. She walked over to me and bent down, whispering into my ear.

"You're my canary. You are my bait."
She took a few steps in front of me, her back turned.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want it to come to this. Honestly, I was just going to settle for Maxine, but you got in the way. I didn't want you to. I even sent Jonathan and those guys to beat you up-" She paused, her voice breaking. I was confused. "You were supposed to be injured! You were supposed to drop out of the case, but you didn't! And, you figured out Jonathan was involved! I didn't want to, but you left me no other choice, Michael."

She turned around, taking her hood off.

"They'll come for you. They'll take the bait. The canary," Nancy Wheeler said.