Chapter Nineteen

 

Chapter Nineteen

Hanna wasn’t sure how long she was asleep or how long she had been in the plexiglass cage, only that it was still dark when she woke up. She stretched and yawned, muscles sore and body stiff. Taking out the flashlight, she waved it around to check her surroundings. There were no guards outside her cage, not anywhere obvious anyway. She looked down through the row of clear, plexiglass cubes. All empty. It was then she noticed a tray in the opposite corner of her own cage. How it got there, she had no idea. She made her way over to the tray and inspected the objects sitting on it. A few bottles of water, a couple sports drinks, individual boxes of cereal, granola bars, a bowl of fruit, and a few other shelf-stable snack options. There was also a small white box with a red bow sitting on the tray. The first thing Hanna did was check the seals on the food and water before proceeding to chug her way through two of the three water bottles on the platter. She munched on a granola bar, staring at the little box. She had half a mind to throw it against the wall without even opening it. But it did look pretty. 

Hanna ignored it and stood up to think. Come on, think of something. You practically built this cage yourself. Doesn't matter how he figured it out, I can still get out of here. Think. Hanna paced the cage. She started off running her hand along the walls as she walked. The more she thought, the faster she walked and the smaller her pacing circle got. She stopped in the middle of the cage, tapping her foot in irritation. Think. Think. Think. Tap. Tap. Tap. Hanna pulled out her phone. Dead. She put the phone away and ran both hands down her face. She took a breath to calm her nerves. “How’d I fall for such a pathetic trap?” she muttered to herself. She went back to the tray and sat next to it, grabbing another granola bar. The red bow on the little box caught her eye. So pretty… She stared at it the whole time she ate. Curiosity getting the better of her, Hanna reached over and picked up the little box. Taking the lid off, Hanna found a phone inside. She tilted her head and looked at it dubiously. She stared at the phone for a few moments before reluctantly taking it and setting the box aside. The phone was at full charge and already connected to the wireless network. “Well, at least it’s got internet down here,” she mumbled. She debated whether or not to access her email accounts on the enemy’s network, but ultimately decided against it. 

The screen lit up as the phone rang, startling Hanna into dropping the phone. It hit the ground with a bounce, but kept ringing. Hanna grabbed the phone and answered it. “...hello?” 

EDJ’s voice greeted her. “Enjoying the gift, dear?” 

“Pfft, no,” Hanna said quickly. “Of course not. I’m… borrowing your resources. Speaking of which, you need better internet.” 

“Are you having connectivity issues? Join the club.” EDJ’s voice taunted. “How are you liking your accommodations? Is it lonesome enough for you in that dark, silent hole?” 

“Quite,” Hanna replied defiantly. “The dark doesn’t scare me. I thrive in it. And I was enjoying the silence until you called.”

“Ah, forgive me,” EDJ said with a short laugh. “I thought I might rescue you from the boredom.” 

“Rescue?!” Hanna echoed in disbelief. She pulled the phone away and gawked at it for a second before resuming the conversation. “You’re the one that trapped me in here to begin with, you dingbat!” She could hear him laughing hysterically on the other end. It took a moment for the laughter to settle down enough for Hanna to get a word in and, by that point, she was angry. “I might be locked in a castle, but I’m not a princess. I don’t need rescuing. Least of all from someone like you.” 

EDJ chortled before he spoke. “I admit, I’m no white knight, but I can still be charming when the situation calls for it.” 

“And I’m supposed to believe this is you being charming now?” Hanna asked, still miffed at his audacity. 

“No, this is me being polite,” EDJ answered pleasantly. “You are my guest, after all.” 

“Prisoner,” Hanna corrected. 

“Oh, I was under the impression you walked into my castle of your own volition,” EDJ commented, absently spinning around in his big chair. 

“Yeah, because you almost destroyed everything,” Hanna said. “You threatened the world. You hurt my friends. You imprisoned me. All that I could almost forgive. But EDJ…” she paused. 

“Yes?” 

Hanna smirked. “Blackberry? Really?” 

“Make fun all you want,” EDJ replied. “You’re the one still trapped in the castle, princess.” Hanna frowned as he continued, “I’m only waiting for your will to break. After that, I might consider letting you go.” 

“Then I guess you’ll be waiting a long time,” Hanna said. “This cage will break before my will does.” 

“So confident.” EDJ chuckled again. “You’ll break. They always do.” 

Hanna blinked. “They? They who?” 

“The oth-” EDJ stopped himself and paused in thought before continuing. “Wait. Did you do any research at all before coming here?” 

“No,” Hanna answered, not sure how that was relevant or what research he was talking about. 

“Do you… even know who I am?” he asked. 

“You’re DJ’s Evil Other,” Hanna answered, not really sure where the conversation was going. “What else is there to know?” 

“Oooh boy. One of us hasn’t done our homework and it shows.” EDJ tisked. “You really didn’t bother figuring out anything else before trying to confront me?” he asked. 

“No,” Hanna repeated.  

“The string of missing people in this area over the last few years hasn't come up at all?” EDJ persisted. “And the missing heroes in the guild? That's not suspicious to you in any way?”

“For the last time, no,” Hanna answered, annoyed with the questions. “I’m not affiliated with the guild and I'm a little busy for other countries' problems.” 

“Well, there’s your first mistake,” EDJ muttered condescendingly. He paused. “Do you even know why I'm on all those wanted lists?”

“I don't care why,” Hanna answered, irritation seeping through every word. “My job is to bring you in regardless of what you've done.”

“Dear, ignorant, little princess… to know the enemy is to know yourself.” EDJ shook his head as he spoke. “The fact that you made it this far at all should say something to the stubbornness of mankind… Oh well, this should be fun.” 

“Are you going to let me out?” Hanna asked, not expecting a positive response, but figuring it couldn’t hurt to ask. 

“No,” EDJ responded. “Get used to the silence. I’m going to give you plenty of time to think. Call me when you want to renegotiate a proper surrender.” Once again, EDJ hung up on her. 

Hanna glared at the phone for a minute before putting it down. “I’m not going to surrender,” she muttered to herself. “I’m not going to break. I need to find a way out of here.” Hanna started pacing the cage again.