Birdcage

Hi everyone,

I apologise profusely for the delays getting this chapter out to you.

Thank you to those now reading who have stuck this out from the start. This will be our final chapter, as I wouldn't want to keep you waiting quite so long for the next one.

I hope it has been worth the wait.

For music recommendations, just listen to the entire Euphoria soundtrack. It's all I'm listening to at the moment anyway.

For newcomers, please read from chapter 1, this does not work as a standalone piece.

Reminder to please vote, comment, or drop me an email anytime.

G.

- - -

Chapter 11. Tache Noir

- - -

The good doctor had returned with his worn leather bag and carefully splinted Marnie's forearm. While he had silently worked, a pair of small round glasses propped at the end of his nose, Joni had recounted her plan to both him and Henri.

"And we won't ever get there, we'd be gone before they knew. Once we are out, we speak to the press. Every outlet we can get to listen. Henri, you must have every incriminating bit of evidence we need. Famous clients, the heads, surveillance footage! They can't bury that surely."

Joni look expectantly at the two, the unsettling silence of the room growing with ever second.

Doctor J was the first to speak.

"...They track everything...you, the cars, the phones, even me and Henri."

He was quietly packing away his bag, making every effort to avoid Joni's eyes.

He continued "-I just can't see..."

"Jack. It's possible. I have a few trusted guards, my phone isn't tracked, I've made sure of that now. We could figure out the rest...come on. You said yourself 2 is away on business, it has to be now."

Joni beamed at his enthusiasm, the small glimmer of hope inside grew as he spoke.

"We contact Orel and tell them Joni and Marnie are injured, if it comes from you it won't be difficult. If they aren't sure we'll tell them Hargreaves won't be very fucking happy if we let their million dollar virgin die. We'll figure out a story for Marnie."

"Orel?"

"My bosses."

Henri had spoken before about those that worked above even him. Joni's mind raced with images of bond villains and white pussycats. But then most of the monsters she had met so far hadn't looked like monsters.

Joni moved instinctively closer to Marnie as she stirred, but the doctor held his arm out towards her, stopping her approach.

"My dear, I need to do some more checks on her if she's waking, and I think we all just need some time to breath. Just give us some space."

His tone was polite but firm, and for a moment Joni allowed the anger to flash inside. She had brought her here. Saved her. What harm would it do to let her sit by her friends bedside.

Henri was too busy clicking furiously on his phone to hear him, so turning on her heel Joni went back into the bathroom once more, closing the door with more force than necessary.

"We shouldn't be waiting. We need to move."

She whispered to the pale and fatigued reflection in the mirror, casting once more a disdainful glance down to her necklace.

Picking up the glimmering tweezers from the basin, Joni leaned in closer to the mirror and found the tiny keyhole. Such a small thing to have such large a meaning. And such a heavy hold on her.

She pressed one of the silver prongs into the hole and pushed, as hard as she could without risking slipping the tweezers out and into her jugular.

The lock held firm.

She twisted, and felt the tinny scrape of metal vibrate against her skin.

Nothing.

Biting down on her lower lip, she took the tweezer into her fist more firmly and pushed.

Somewhere inside the tiny mechanism, something moved, and Joni heard a very faint and satisfying click. As she pulled back, the necklace opened and slipped from her hand. Falling with a gentle clink into the porcelain.

"Ha." Her laugh was mirthless.

She looked back over the tweezers still in her fist. The tip was bent ever so slightly, and the shiny metal had dulled. Still sharp though. Looking back towards the door, she leaned over and as quietly as she could, clicked the lock over.

She could hear Henri talking in stern fast tones on the phone, and the low mumblings of Doctor J and Marnie.

Could she find it?

Lifting the short sleeve of her dress away from her upper arm, she probed. She had seen it go in. Like a thick matchstick. Not dissimilar to a contraceptive implant a girl at work had. She'd shown Joni with morbid fascination, the tiny rod that nestled in the inside of her arm, not far from her armpit. It had made Joni feel queasy at the time.

Her fingertips grazed the edge of something firm. So shallow she could see the faint grey colouring against the otherwise pale peach of the skin. It wouldn't take much.

"Joni?"

The door handle jerked loudly, and she cursed Henri for his disregard of her privacy.

"Give me a minute."

'Ok then. I've just given myself a much shorter timeframe for this than I could have'

She took the tweezers in hand, lined it up with the bottom edge of the implant and pushed. Hard.

Her teeth clenched firmly together and she shut her eyes tightly for a moment, holding in the yell that threatened. The sting only lasted a couple of seconds, but the flesh then continued to throb, and Joni could feel the cool trickle of blood that rolled down towards her wrist.

Opening her eyes slowly she assessed the damage. The tweezers had gone further in than she had expected, and as she pulled back a fraction, she felt the metal against metal. She didn't dare try to grab at the tracker. Letting the tweezers fall back into the sink and taking a deep breath in, she laid her thumb against the top of the foreign body and pushed downward.

It slipped down the bloodied skin of her arm, and clinked into the sink along with the tweezers.

"Ha!"

"Joni, is everything ok?"

Henri sounded more concerned now, and Joni took a moment to splash water up her arm and attempt some sort of cleanup before she opened the door.

"What in the fuck has happened?"

Henri jerked at her blood smeared arm firmly, checking over the skin, but finding no cut. Joni pondered for a moment that he may have suspected she had harmed herself with far deadlier intentions, with the way his eyes scanned her wrist.

Turning her arm outward, she displayed her inner arm, where the tiny jagged cut continued to bleed.

"It's gone. So no time like the present."

Doctor J was looking over Henri's shoulder, and tore off his glasses to get a better look.

"Fucking hell. What have you done? We needed more time!"

He bellowed the last words, and Joni could see Marnie cringe at the volume.

"I can't believe..."

Henri's eyes found hers and his mouth turned up into a smirk.

"So let's just fucking do this.'

- - -

After the basics of the plan had been ironed out, things went suspiciously smoothly.

Doctor J rang Priti, his senior, and gave her the heads up that he had been informed of two injured slaves that required more treatment than they could offer, one with a severely broken arm and concussion (Marnie was doing better but could still easily pass for concussed), and one with likely appendicitis (easily feigned if necessary after some direction from the good doctor).

He was clearly well respected, as Priti didn't bat an eyelid, even offering to ring the hospital and let them know the group would be coming shortly.

Henri phoned 2 of his most trusted guards, men he had reassured Joni would have nothing to lose by their involvement. Although this part Joni knew he could not assure.

The most difficult phonecall had been to 'The Orel'. Henri couldn't be sure how much they had known about the other heads suspicions of him, but he took a leap of faith on the fact that 2 (who seemed to be the pack leader on the hunt) wouldn't want to ruin her stellar reputation with her bosses by offering up false information. She would wait until she had something concrete, and as far as they knew, she had yet to get that. Despite her best efforts and 240 volts.

The Orel again had been surprisingly easy to convince, not even needing the threat of Hargreaves to convince them of the need for immediate treatment of the two.

"14004, yes. And 13775. No Sir. She is away on business and has asked me to cover this. I can pass you onto Doctor Jack Manitoff if that's necessary."

Joni pictured 2's face when this was relayed to her, when hopefully they were long gone and out of reach. The fear and excitement were one and the same now. Bubbling endlessly in the pit of her stomach.

"I haven't felt anything close to hope for a long time J. But I feel it now."

Marnie sat tucked close into Joni's side, still wrapped in the protective warmth of the white bed. Her lucidity came and went, as the drugs wore off and Doctor J topped her up intermittently. But her eyes were wide and clear now as she looked up towards Joni.

"You've been here longer than most Marn, I'm going to need you when we're out. Ok? We're going to shut this fucking place down, forever. And every other one like it! With what Henri has on them, and what we know...maybe we can even convince Doc to share some inside knowledge."

Doctor J hadn't lifted his head from his phone the last 40 minutes, his brow still furrowed and his mouth downturned, in the same concerned expression as had been there since Joni had left the bathroom. He could have been a small worried statue if it wasn't for the occasional 'hmph' or 'erm'.

It starkly contrasted the blind confidence that the other three had gone for.

"I just think we need to act fast. The longer we wait, the longer we risk 2 coming back, or one of the other heads getting wind and sniffing around."

Henri spoke to nobody in particular but rather the room. His hands interlaced behind his head as he stretched back in the wicker chair, taking a momentary pause from his phone. The shirt was stretched tight across his chest and Joni longed to curl up next to him.

Her proximity to him seemed to directly relate to her confidence in the plan. He had left for mere moments earlier to change the key code to his room, and when alone with a sedate Marnie, and Doc's anxious mumblings, doubts began to slowly creep into the back of Joni's mind.

The possible repercussions if they were caught was her main concern at present. She knew 2 wouldn't be kind or obliging enough to just simply kill them.

"We can do it."

Joni lifted her head to meet the cool blue of Henri's. Her worries must have been etched on her face for all to see. She never was very good at disguising her true feelings, that much had been very true of her time at the Fort.

"I'll get us out."

His mouth pulled up in a smile, and as he stood, Joni could see the shadow of the bandage that now wrapped around his upper arm, matching her own, and Marnie's too. The Doctor would stay, tracker in place, it was decided, to minimise the fallout. To keep the ruse going long enough for them to get far far away. He would 'deliver' them to hospital, as far as the Fort knew, and then handover to the staff there, returning without them.

"We should make our way down."

The clock read 17:19.

"...The car will be here at six."

The Doctor had unpacked his bag of most of his kit, and it had been repacked with some basic supplies they had cobbled together from the room. Soap, a couple of large t-shirts that would swamp Joni, a phone charger, a small blanket, and the entire contents of the mini fridge, which included 3 bottles of water, a beer, a banana, and 2 chocolate bars.

They hoped it would be enough to at least get them to the nearest town, which although he had never been to, Henri assured them was there. He knew the basics of the area, as it had been conversationally discussed with clients on arrival, and the Fort regularly engaged with (bribed) the nearest neighbours.

The Doctor had managed to surreptitiously wander into a changing room a few doors down, and brought back with him the warmest and least revealing clothes he could safely smuggle out for the girls. Someone had thankfully had some sort of female pimp fantasy in the recent past, as Joni had been given a fawn suede coat with a thick fur trim, that smelt strongly of cheap aftershave. She had hoped for jeans, but all they could manage were 3 pairs of dark tights all worn at once under her dress and a black ankle boot with a mercifully low heel.

Marnie had been given the warmer option (as the only actually injured party) of slim leather trousers and one of the guards heavy black knit jumpers that she could pull over her splinted arm, still wrapped in a sling tight to her chest.

Joni's outfit was garnished with the addition of a slim flip knife that Henri had given her. It was tucked tightly into her bra; the metal a reassuring coolness against her chest. She had spent some time flicking it back and forth, to be sure of the mechanism if she ever needed it. She hoped she would not.

"I can't been seen with any of you. 2 has made the other heads more than aware of her suspicions of me, 5 visited my office 2 days ago to warn me. I'll meet you at the west entrance, my guards already know to be at the car."

Henri pulled his suit jacket on and patted each of his pockets.

"And if they stop me?"

The Doctor had a faint sheen of sweat over his brow, and he mopped it on the back of his sleeve as he spoke.

"Then you tell them what we've just told the Orel. Say we've got clearance from up top.

Come on Jack. Don't lose your nerve now."

"What about Helena?! I don't know, this all feels too rushed. I need to speak to Helena."

"Jack. You're going to tell them we forced you. They have no reason to suspect otherwise. You've never done wrong by them. She'll be safe, and safer still when we can get you all out. I've looked after you before, and you need to do the same for us now."

Joni had been helping Marnie finish dressing, but she made a mental note to ask Henri about this 'Helena' later. She didn't risk asking now and sending Doctor J further into the spiral of hysteria that he was tipping towards.

"I want to help you. I do. Im just trying to keep us all safe."

The Doctor huffed. His hand coming up again to wipe away the trickle of sweat from his temple.

- - -

It hadn't occurred to Joni that she hadn't seen real daylight since she had arrived. When the doors were opened, her eyes burned in the crisp white sunlight that beamed down. It took several seconds for the dancing lights to evaporate from her vision.

The Fort was painted in a palette of grey and beige. The only real colours were in the garish costumes the girls wore, or the harsh pink and red of the lipsticks, the neon lights, and the blood.

The world outside comparatively was alive with colour.

Joni could see a long tree line and field ahead in hues of emerald and olive. A narrow dusty path lead away into the distance, the dust licking up in the wind. All this against a cloudless background of blue. Not the ice of Henri's eyes, but a warm and rich colour that reminded Joni instantly of the ocean.

She had expected snow, based on what she had seen of Russia on tv, but despite the chill in the air, the earth felt warmed by the sun, and the trees were thick with lush foliage.

'Maybe spring?' Joni mused.

Just as Joni was looking farther into the distance, where she could just make out small brown rooftops, a thick dark fabric was pulled down over her head and again the world was plunged into darkness.

"Sorry princess, in we go. If you struggle we'll tie you up, and that's a far less comfortable journey."

The voice was that of a tall American guard that had roughly escorted them out. He wasn't one of the 'trusted' guards that Henri had described to her earlier. She had been instructed to look out for Nicholas; an Asian man with a shaved head, and Peter; a smaller British man with black hair and an earring.

'Peter' had instantly made himself known when they had arrived at the entrance. He had made a move to politely take the bag from the Doctor and had headed straight for the drivers seat of the limo, as arranged. Henri would replace him at the last moment, and the guard would make himself scarce, whilst 'Nicholas' stayed in the back to travel on and eventually return with Doctor J. This American guard was an unexpected addition, and Nicholas was unseen as of yet.

She could hear the doctors anxious mumbling in the background.

"Sorry. I thought it was the other gentleman coming with us? Erm...Nick was it?"

"No. Everyones allocated. I don't make the rules dude."

"Ah well...yes. Right."

Joni rolled her eyes under the coarse blindfold. Doctor J had once been a paradigm of warmth and safety to her. Now, she couldn't think of anyone less equipped for this journey. Settling into the back seat, she reached her hand out to where she knew Marnie sat and felt for fingers, grasping tightly when she found them.

She heard Doctor J join them in the back, shortly followed by the rough and so far unnamed American guard.

"Sorry Doctor, rules are rules."

Joni heard another rustle of fabric and a muffled 'hmpf' that told her that the Doctor had also joined them in darkness under the thick blindfolds.

The engine rumbled awake and Joni's stomach rolled over nervously. She hadn't heard the driver replaced yet, and as the seconds passed, she grew more concerned that something had gone wrong, and more desperate to hear Henri's voice.

Marnie's fingers tightened against her palm, in a poor attempt at reassurance.

"The other guards will meet us there. They'll follow." The guard spoke.

"Erm...is that protocol?"

"I don't know man, they've ramped up security measures the last couple of days after those two waiters got their heads blown off."

Joni hadn't heard anything about this, and she assumed it meant it was on one of the higher levels. That news rarely made it down to the slums.

She heard the distant clunk of another set of car doors shutting, and listened in silence, breath held, for Henri's voice.

"What's the hold up?"

American guard was sat across from them, and Joni could tell he was facing towards the driver. His voice quietened as he leaned into the partition separating the cab from the back.

Joni didn't hear the reply, as one of the doors ahead opened violently.

"Sorry, change of plans."

Henri sounded breathless and Joni could picture the soft sheen of perspiration on his brow. She loosened the tight hold she had on Marnie's fingers and felt the blood rush back into her fingertips.

"Oh! Erm Sir...I don't-"

The American guard tripped over his words, clearly uneasy, but Joni continued to listen quietly as 'Peter' stepped out and Henri took his expected place at the wheel.

"I didn't ask for your opinion on the matter guard."

Put in place by Henri's seniority, the guard was considerably quieter from then on, and Joni settled in and listened to the hum of the engine as the car pulled away down the path.

She could almost forget how close to freedom she now was. With blindfold on, and only a few feet from the heavy breathing of the anxious guard, it was easy to still feel trapped, but she tried to remind herself how far she had come, and how little now stood between her and the outside world.

She recalled her first damp cold 'bed' in The Fort, and her fingers flexed into Marnie's at the memory of their meeting. Joni knew that she wouldn't be where she was without the irritating optimism and endless support of her friend, and whatever the future held with Henri, she swore to herself she would find some place in her life for Marnie. She couldn't now picture a life where she didn't sleep 3 feet away from her.

To remind her of that fact, she became aware at the moment of the soft snore next to her. Marnie had drifted off, aided by the painkillers, and Joni could feel her body sway loosely in her seat as the car sped up.