Should have listened to the Admiral
Underneath Antarctica
C.J. was stretched out on one of the benches in their cell while Hitomi paced slowly from end to end. They had been escorted into the cell over an hour ago and hadn’t seen anyone since.
“You’ll wear a trench in the floor if you keep that up.”
Hitomi didn’t bother responding. Siege could almost hear the gears grinding in her friend’s head. It didn’t take a genius to know she was furious for being caught, even though they went in knowing it was almost certainly a trap.
“’Omi, sit. They’ll get us eventually.”
Hitomi glared at her. “This is maddening.”
“Of course it is,” C.J. raised a brow. “He’s trying to get us riled by making us wait.”
“I know that!” Hitomi snarled, then deflated and sank onto the floor in front of Siege.
“Feel better?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Glad you got it out of your system now.”
Hitomi laughed wearily and slid so her back was resting on the bench C.J. was laying on. “Yeah, sorry. I guess it just annoys me to get caught by these idiots. Again.”
Siege smiled and put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I know. At least this time we knew it might happen.”
Hitomi leaned her head back and rolled her eyes up to look at C.J. “Doesn’t make me feel that much better, girl.”
Siege laughed. “Sorry. I know this is easy for me to say, but be patient.”
“Yeah, not everyone is you, Cynthia.” Hitomi said quietly.
“Which is probably good,” C.J. said lightly, “imagine a whole room of me. You’d hear crickets.”
They sat in silence for a while, Hitomi resisting the urge to pace again. After it got to be too much, Hitomi remembered something she heard in passing the other day.
“Hey, you know they’re finally excavating one of those ruin sites in Arizona where they found stuff that looked Minoan.”
C.J. looked surprised. “I hadn’t heard. I’m surprised they got clearance. Usually the government doesn’t like to admit anything other than Native Americans here.”
Hitomi smirked, “They haven’t admitted it. It’s top secret, no public allowed. It’s all Army and Air Force scientists.”
Siege groaned. “Of course it is. Probably take everything to Groom Lake when it’s done. Know one will ever know. Dammit.”
Hitomi turned around and looked at her friend with a grin and a decidedly wicked gleam in her eyes. “Once we’re done here, want to party crash?”
C.J. gave her a sidelong look. “You want a crash a top secret excavation?’
”Yeah! Why not? It’ll be fun.“
Siege thought for a moment. ”Buck could probably pull some strings,“ she trailed off.
”Exactly.“
C.J. grinned suddenly. ”You’re on!“ She was going to say something more, but the door to their cell opened abruptly and their captor strode in. Even though he was wearing that jackal mask, he almost radiated smug success.
Hem-Netjer Tepey was obviously smiling under his mask as he looked down, both figuratively and literally on Hitomi and Siege. ”So, thought you’d remain undetected. In my domain?“
”A hand me down from Nazis you mean.“
”Have a care, Miss Onoe. You are here at my sufferance and will only get to leave on my say so.“
”Then what do you want?“ Siege asked calmly. ”You didn’t honestly think we’d let Buck come here without us checking things out?“
The man laughed. ”Very well.“ He snapped his fingers, and several guards came in. ”Bring them. We have things to discuss.“
C.J. was stretched out on one of the benches in their cell while Hitomi paced slowly from end to end. They had been escorted into the cell over an hour ago and hadn’t seen anyone since.
“You’ll wear a trench in the floor if you keep that up.”
Hitomi didn’t bother responding. Siege could almost hear the gears grinding in her friend’s head. It didn’t take a genius to know she was furious for being caught, even though they went in knowing it was almost certainly a trap.
“’Omi, sit. They’ll get us eventually.”
Hitomi glared at her. “This is maddening.”
“Of course it is,” C.J. raised a brow. “He’s trying to get us riled by making us wait.”
“I know that!” Hitomi snarled, then deflated and sank onto the floor in front of Siege.
“Feel better?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Glad you got it out of your system now.”
Hitomi laughed wearily and slid so her back was resting on the bench C.J. was laying on. “Yeah, sorry. I guess it just annoys me to get caught by these idiots. Again.”
Siege smiled and put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I know. At least this time we knew it might happen.”
Hitomi leaned her head back and rolled her eyes up to look at C.J. “Doesn’t make me feel that much better, girl.”
Siege laughed. “Sorry. I know this is easy for me to say, but be patient.”
“Yeah, not everyone is you, Cynthia.” Hitomi said quietly.
“Which is probably good,” C.J. said lightly, “imagine a whole room of me. You’d hear crickets.”
They sat in silence for a while, Hitomi resisting the urge to pace again. After it got to be too much, Hitomi remembered something she heard in passing the other day.
“Hey, you know they’re finally excavating one of those ruin sites in Arizona where they found stuff that looked Minoan.”
C.J. looked surprised. “I hadn’t heard. I’m surprised they got clearance. Usually the government doesn’t like to admit anything other than Native Americans here.”
Hitomi smirked, “They haven’t admitted it. It’s top secret, no public allowed. It’s all Army and Air Force scientists.”
Siege groaned. “Of course it is. Probably take everything to Groom Lake when it’s done. Know one will ever know. Dammit.”
Hitomi turned around and looked at her friend with a grin and a decidedly wicked gleam in her eyes. “Once we’re done here, want to party crash?”
C.J. gave her a sidelong look. “You want a crash a top secret excavation?’
”Yeah! Why not? It’ll be fun.“
Siege thought for a moment. ”Buck could probably pull some strings,“ she trailed off.
”Exactly.“
C.J. grinned suddenly. ”You’re on!“ She was going to say something more, but the door to their cell opened abruptly and their captor strode in. Even though he was wearing that jackal mask, he almost radiated smug success.
Hem-Netjer Tepey was obviously smiling under his mask as he looked down, both figuratively and literally on Hitomi and Siege. ”So, thought you’d remain undetected. In my domain?“
”A hand me down from Nazis you mean.“
”Have a care, Miss Onoe. You are here at my sufferance and will only get to leave on my say so.“
”Then what do you want?“ Siege asked calmly. ”You didn’t honestly think we’d let Buck come here without us checking things out?“
The man laughed. ”Very well.“ He snapped his fingers, and several guards came in. ”Bring them. We have things to discuss.“
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