Lies, lies, lies
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 3:48 am
((Aaron Hughes continued from Altering the Deal))
The time was coming. They were in the residential area, in an abandoned house. Aaron had collected an assortment of random objects as they went, all things that looked like they could be used for something. It didn't matter that he had no true escape plan, no grand device. All that mattered was that they keep chasing one elusive thing after another. Soon, they'd get to the medicine, the drugs. Aaron was going to frame that one carefully, pass it off as making sure nobody else was lost. He'd play off the casualties they'd already experienced.
Really, he was hoping for some heavy sedatives, or, better yet, something nice and lethal. He'd have to get rid of Aileen and Charlie at some point, and it would be better if they weren't putting up a fight. The night before the finals might be a good time. He'd just have to find some excuse. Maybe get Aileen to do it. Act like he wasn't worried, they'd all be fine, and trust her contrary nature to get her to insist they take care of their wounds. Then it was just a matter of making sure the right drugs went to the right people.
That was getting way ahead of himself, though. For now, he was about to have to mitigate damage. The announcements were coming. He was going to have to explain.
The voice that greeted him was a surprise. It wasn't Danya's. He didn't know what to make of that. Presumably, Danya was either personally involved in the attempt to deal with the rescue, or he'd been evacuated to a safer location to deal with the compromised security. Whatever the case, this meant that the terrorists would be off balance. If he'd still been planning to get out, this would have meant something, perhaps.
As it was, Aaron tried to harness his confusion, to channel and repurpose it towards other ends. He was going to have to be confused and upset here. That would be what Aileen and Charlie wanted. He'd act for them, just like he'd been doing. Just as soon as it was announced. It'd be any second. Any second.
There. The list of names. And on it, Bounce. That was a shock. It meant they'd definitely gotten away, though. Bounce was too smart to fall for something that wouldn't work. She'd dragged Alice along too, no doubt, given the proximity of their names. That was good. Aaron was glad to hear that some of his few friends had survived, despite his feelings towards their behavior on the island. In fact, a large portion of the competition had just been removed form play in one fell swoop. Good.
He was trying to distract himself from those niggling little doubts. He'd had a chance to leave, but he couldn't have taken it. It would have killed him. Yes, this was best. He hadn't messed up. It was all according to the plan.
"Fuck." Aaron slammed his palm down on his leg as the announcement ended. "There was nobody there. I went there, and I didn't see anyone."
He ran his hands through his hair, yanked on it lightly, twisted it. A little pain was good. It'd make his affected voice sound less artificial. Things might be getting really bad here. It was a good thing he had the only gun in the group. Aileen was threat number one, with that hammer. Charlie was the more peaceful of the two. She was a secondary concern if it all went sour.
"I... fuck. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't see anyone, and... they're all dead. Bounce and Alice and... fuck."
Good. That was the way to play this. He was to be pitied. They'd see he was sorry, buy his feigned contrition, and then they'd move on. They'd comfort him for the loss of his friends. Maybe he'd pretend to let Aileen lead for a while. That would go a long way towards placating the girls, and would also explain their total lack of progress towards escaping. It didn't matter how much time they wasted, not now. All that mattered was that Aaron survived it.
The time was coming. They were in the residential area, in an abandoned house. Aaron had collected an assortment of random objects as they went, all things that looked like they could be used for something. It didn't matter that he had no true escape plan, no grand device. All that mattered was that they keep chasing one elusive thing after another. Soon, they'd get to the medicine, the drugs. Aaron was going to frame that one carefully, pass it off as making sure nobody else was lost. He'd play off the casualties they'd already experienced.
Really, he was hoping for some heavy sedatives, or, better yet, something nice and lethal. He'd have to get rid of Aileen and Charlie at some point, and it would be better if they weren't putting up a fight. The night before the finals might be a good time. He'd just have to find some excuse. Maybe get Aileen to do it. Act like he wasn't worried, they'd all be fine, and trust her contrary nature to get her to insist they take care of their wounds. Then it was just a matter of making sure the right drugs went to the right people.
That was getting way ahead of himself, though. For now, he was about to have to mitigate damage. The announcements were coming. He was going to have to explain.
The voice that greeted him was a surprise. It wasn't Danya's. He didn't know what to make of that. Presumably, Danya was either personally involved in the attempt to deal with the rescue, or he'd been evacuated to a safer location to deal with the compromised security. Whatever the case, this meant that the terrorists would be off balance. If he'd still been planning to get out, this would have meant something, perhaps.
As it was, Aaron tried to harness his confusion, to channel and repurpose it towards other ends. He was going to have to be confused and upset here. That would be what Aileen and Charlie wanted. He'd act for them, just like he'd been doing. Just as soon as it was announced. It'd be any second. Any second.
There. The list of names. And on it, Bounce. That was a shock. It meant they'd definitely gotten away, though. Bounce was too smart to fall for something that wouldn't work. She'd dragged Alice along too, no doubt, given the proximity of their names. That was good. Aaron was glad to hear that some of his few friends had survived, despite his feelings towards their behavior on the island. In fact, a large portion of the competition had just been removed form play in one fell swoop. Good.
He was trying to distract himself from those niggling little doubts. He'd had a chance to leave, but he couldn't have taken it. It would have killed him. Yes, this was best. He hadn't messed up. It was all according to the plan.
"Fuck." Aaron slammed his palm down on his leg as the announcement ended. "There was nobody there. I went there, and I didn't see anyone."
He ran his hands through his hair, yanked on it lightly, twisted it. A little pain was good. It'd make his affected voice sound less artificial. Things might be getting really bad here. It was a good thing he had the only gun in the group. Aileen was threat number one, with that hammer. Charlie was the more peaceful of the two. She was a secondary concern if it all went sour.
"I... fuck. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't see anyone, and... they're all dead. Bounce and Alice and... fuck."
Good. That was the way to play this. He was to be pitied. They'd see he was sorry, buy his feigned contrition, and then they'd move on. They'd comfort him for the loss of his friends. Maybe he'd pretend to let Aileen lead for a while. That would go a long way towards placating the girls, and would also explain their total lack of progress towards escaping. It didn't matter how much time they wasted, not now. All that mattered was that Aaron survived it.