Where: ???
When: May 08, 2012; the wee small hours
What: Plans are… discussed, if not fully crafted.
Morning, if that's even when it is, comes groggily. After yesterday's incident, the group was drugged again and a bit heavier this time, it feels like. Music pumps into the room again, something a little more upbeat. And in Spanish. There's a tray of food waiting, and a new flat of water bottles. The sedatives floating around their system only take some of the bite out of Zan's injures, but he can still feel it.
And when he comes to, he can feel it especially. Like he's being poked and prodded. But once his eyes open, it turns out to just be Rylie dabbing at the dried blood on his face with what appears to be the sleeve of her top, which she's torn off. The water bottles are good for more than just drinking, it seems, since that's what she's using to clean him up with. She's still a little loopy herself, swaying where she sits and needing to concentrate to keep her dabs gentle.
A murmur of protest proves Zan is beginning to awaken, the sound biting though still no louder with a dab or poke, inconsistent as the drugs' hold wears off. His eyes open slowly, one going no further than a crack that just allows light in, surrounding flesh bruised quite a bit thanks to Jesus' fists. It's a moment before he focuses on the carpeted floor and then on Rylie, head turning a little, though it's enough to elicit a wince. "You alright," he asks, a little muttered, foggy.
Pulling her hand away when he protests, Rylie gives him a moment to come to. Her hand presses against the floor, to better support her attempts at being upright. When he looks at her, it's clear she's been crying, although she isn't right now. So his question gets a gentle smile and a nod. "I'd bet money I feel better than you do right now." Her only bruising is around her throat, after all. "Sorry if I hurt you. They just left you in here all bloody." And it gave her something to distract herself with, too.
"You didn't," Zan responds gently. His eyes close for a moment, and a breath is carefully drawn in and out again. There's less drug-induced haze when his eyes open again, more focus and more pain as whatever has been taking the edge off leaves him. In spite of it, he tries to sit up, slow and stiff and reawakening everything that was done to him the day before. He gets partway up, onto his elbows before he stops for a breath, looking again at Rylie. He pushes a hand toward hers, concerned as he takes in her own state more fully. "You sure?"
Wincing when he starts to sit up, Rylie doesn't move to help, but only because it would probably only hurt more with another person tugging on him. His hand moves and she looks down at it instead of at him. There's a smile without much mirth behind it and she puts her hand over his, to hang onto. "No," she says with a forced, gentle chuckle. "But that's what therapy's for, right? Later. When we're out of this."
There's a sense of him bracing for something. It turns out to be movement, and Zan pushes against the floor to prop himself up against the wall. Though obvious that it hurts, he makes an effort to not show it much. Rylie's hand is given a light tug as he lets out a breath he'd been holding, to guide her over to sit against the wall as well. "Therapy and burgers," he asks, centering his gaze on his feet. "Sounds like a prescription for recovery."
Next to awake is Terri, who does so with a groan as she tries to roll over and ends up wincing. Not a good morning for her. Laying there to catch her breath, she listens to see if anyone's else awake before opening eyes.
It doesn't take too much convincing to get Rylie to move, too, and she comes over to sit next to him. "Yes, exactly. Foolproof plan to get past the whole mess." It'll totally be that easy. While she doesn't let go of his hand, her other reaches up to rub over her face, letting out a groan of her own before her hand drops back to her lap. "This sort of thing isn't supposed to happen," she says, in a streak of what may be naivete. Or wishful thinking. She looks over at the groan from the other woman, and a sad, crooked smile comes to her face, "Morning."
"I'm sorry you got dragged into it," Zan offers quietly, regret even more solidified now that he's completely aware of why they're in the mess to begin with. Or, at the very least, one reason as to why. He looks up when Terri groans and fights back a pang of guilt. "Sorry you both got dragged into it," he amends more quietly.
Terri lays there, listening, then sighs, "Morning. Evening. Whatever it is. I swear.. that girl is going to get her ass kicked. Let's see if she's so tough tied down to a chair herself." Such lovely thoughts, though as she shifts, pushing herself up to sit with a wince and hand to her side, she looks to Zan, "I won't say it's not your fault, but it's not like you had any choice in the matter. None of us did. And honestly, if I'd been in your place, I would have done the same thing. We'll think of something to get us out of here. I did pay attention to the layout of the place when we were walked back here. Some sort of converted warehouse, it looks.. "
"Which one of them," Rylie says, tone dry. But she turns to look at Zan, shaking her head some. "I will say it isn't your fault. They're crazy. No one can predict crazy." Her hand squeezes his, a reassuring gesture. "You're going to beat yourself up over it anyway, though, aren't you?" It makes her chuckle a little before she turns to look back at Terri. "Think we might be able to get out ourselves? It's not a maze or anything really dickish like that, is it?"
"I might," Zan answers, mustering a bit of a smile with a glance toward Rylie. His gaze ticks to Terri at the mention of escape, a slight furrow drawing across his brow. He nods along with Rylie's questions before voicing any of his own. "You see anything besides our handlers and walls? Any idea where we are?" Last thing he wants to do is escape and find themselves out in the desert.
"All? But the girl that was hitting on me.." Terri mutters before she glances between thw two, "I think I know a way out of here, yeah. Been trying tokeep track of the way to the bathroom and such when they take out us. Our biggest problem is how to get past /them/ to get out. I can't seem to keep a straight figure of how many are here actually."
The answer has Rylie reaching over to cover Zan's hand with her other one for a moment, even if escape planning pulls her attention over. "Yeah. I don't think I've been led around by the same one twice. Which hopefully will be a tradition that sticks," she says with a roll of her eyes. But she looks away from the others, just for a second. "I should have paid more attention to all those action movies. What Would John McClane do?"
Zan's fingers tighten slightly around Rylie's hand, though his head shakes at the conversation in general. "I haven't had the same guy leading me anywhere," he agrees. "But I can't form a layout of the place in my head. I can't even tell you where we walked from to get back here yest— whenever we were last awake." His head tips backward until it touches the wall. "John McClane would shoot guns while MacGuyver got us the hell out of here without ever being caught. Can we go through the ceiling?"
"Nicholas is likely the best one to figure out an escape plan… he's got more training with this than I do." Terri does admit, showing that she knows the man fairly well. A glance to the sleeping form, she turns back, "He was awake when you guys were out, and I've given him the information as well." How does one draw when you have neither pen nor paper? Use the water and sketch a shaky map out on the carpet! That's what she does, showing the pair the layout as she knows it, from their room to bathrooms to the room they'd been taken to the night before. Or whenever that was. She shows them the exit as well. "The question is this: what's outside that door?" She does laugh, "MacGuyver would handle this with a bottle of water, a piece of lint from his pocket and a shoelace. "
Hey, and at least this map will evaporate and not be found by the bad guys later! Rylie comes over to have a look, her head tilting. "I do have shoelaces," she comments idly. "My brother always wanted to go to survivalist camp when we were growing up. Did I go? No, I took music lessons. Fat lot of good they're doing me now."
Zan looks upward to the ceiling, studying it for a moment before letting his gaze travel to the door and finally to the map on the floor. He starts to lean forward some, thinking better of it after only tensing to move. He lets out a breath and looks at the carpeting instead, following the lines around the edge of the room. "Think we could get the jump on one of them when they come in to feed us?"
"I've had some training, but don't think it applies too well here in some ways." Terri offers, only to laugh softly, "I go camping and such, still, different situation." Once they both have their look of the map, she glances to both, "I don't know. I'd be willing to give it a try though. If we can be careful with the drugs, might could pretend to be out from them, and jump them. I'm just wary of any of us getting hurt further. Or if we prove to be too much trouble, them just outright shooting us. So far,…" Well, the beatings been the worse.
The ceiling above then has at least a subcieling, based on how much lower it is than the hallways they go through. But it's impossible to tell what's on the other side of it, or if they'd be noticed up there. But, it may be an option all the same.
Rylie nods to the laugh, smiling back at the other woman. "True enough. But hey, we can think resourcefully. That is one thing I have practice in, anyway. And half of us are okay, physically speaking. I can't say I'm any good with my fists, but worth a try." She looks over at Zan, his beating being the most visibly evident at the moment. "I think, if they were willing to shoot us, we'd be shot already. Maybe. Hopefully."
"Last one that came in had a gun," Zan recalls, drawing an arm over his ribs. "I'd rather not stick around to see what else they can do besides beatings. But I can't let them…" A glance goes to Rylie then back to the ceiling. "Let's see what's up there," he suggests, nodding upward. "If we jump them, we need to do it so that an alarm isn't raised."
"They have guns, just haven't used them, but if we /run/.. well.. all bets might well be off then." Terri will agree to that, and with all looking to the ceiling, she sighs and pushes herself upwards, then looks to Rylie, "I can try and give you a boost up there." She motions to Zan to stay where he is for now. Too bad Nic's too drugged to be much use for now. But any information that they could gather, could be given to him later.
"Hey, Zan. I'm a big girl. She's a tough cop type and that guy— well he's all square-jawed and stuff, right? Plus, they're keeping him under more. I think that means they're more worried about him than the rest of us. We can handle ourselves." Which might be more true of everyone else and less so of herself, but she's putting the claim out there anyway. Rylie gets to her feet at Terri's suggestion, brushing her clothes a bit self consciously. "You sure?" she asks when she comes up beside the other woman.
Zan's head shakes slowly, though he concedes the point with an apologetic look. He doesn't stay where he's at, pushing himself up more as if preparing to stand. Glances go to Rylie and Terri as he gets himself into less of a slump and started toward his feet, arm tightening around his middle.
"Sit, Zan. Don't try and be macho. Please." Terri does say quietly when Zan tries pushing himself up to sit. "We need you to conserve your energy as best you can right now. You're hurt more than me and Rylie. So, please, for now.. just listen?" Turning to Rylie, she nods, "I'm certain I'll likely have a better chance fo getting you up there, than you me. With Zan hurt, he can't do it. Nic's out. And I'm thinking we need all the information we can get. I'm just bruised a little. I've had worse playing 3-man with the guys at the station who think I'll give them the ball just cause I'm a girl." A wry grin is given before she glances then moves to the corner. "If here, I can brace against the wall."
"Alright, fair enough. But let me know if you have to put me down." Rylie follows Terri to the corner, and when she's hoisted up toward the ceiling, the younger blonde slides a ceiling panel out of the way and slowly peeks up above. But she doesn't explain, instead she hauls herself up there, disappearing from sight. It's even hard to hear her footsteps from their side. That's a good, solid ceiling. She'll be back in a moment, surely.
A Look is given to Terri. Probably one Zan's given his dad a time or two, full of defiance though unlike that he showed to their …friends the day before. He starts to get himself standing, giving up after Rylie's disappeared beyond the ceiling. He sinks onto the floor properly again, jaw clenched and brows pinched together in pain though he watches above.
"I will." Terri manages, and braced in the corner, is able to give Rylie a leg up to her shoulders, and then the girl is gone. She stays there watching the hole, glancing to Zan as she murmurs, "I'm sorry if I'm bossy. Part of the job, alright? Protect and serve, and I'm not doing so great a job here. If we make this escape.. we need you to pull your weight then, alright?" She appeals to him, then frowns as the drugs from the water she was sipping seem to hit. "Well.. shit.." A pause, and she calls up quietly, "Rylie.. you might have to get down.. yourself.." She'll barely make it over to the side before she's zonking out again.
It takes a moment, but Rylie's head pops into view, hair tumbling through the opening as she looks downward. "Did you say something Te— ooh." She glances over at Zan, then leans back again before there's a huh from above. But after a moment, he can see the panel sliding mostly into place, leaving just enough room for Rylie to wiggle through when she drops back to the floor. Unfortunately, she hits ground with little grace, but at least she does so with a laugh. "We'll have to fix that later. Looks like storage up there. Lots of rooms we could drop down into." What's in the rooms is the real question.
But before they can ponder it too much, the door bangs open, which has Rylie jumping in surprise. But when the unknown thug motions for her to follow, she can only glance to Zan with a worried look before she moves to follow.
"Don't expect you to pull my weight," Zan states to the sleeping room, sleeping once Terri is under thanks to the sedative's influence, still watching for Rylie's return. He realizes a moment of relief when she does reappear and drop out of the ceiling, grinning faintly. "Might be useful to explore," he says, gaze ticking up to the opening.
All thoughts of escape are interrupted when the door bangs open. Zan jumps as well, though the sound doesn't interrupt Terri or Nicholas. The mayor's son shares a worried luck with the girl as she's directed out of the room with the thug, something that doesn't lessen when the door slams closed again, sealing the world beyond the room out all over again.
