Gyrus

Chapter Eight: Forced Apparitions

I didn't need my super genius brain to figure out that this raven-haired girl was equal parts bluff and truth. It made sense that she had some sleuth type power, otherwise there was no other explanation why she was up and coherent after all the drugs she had been pumped with. It usually took normal people hours to regain full motor function after that many drugs in the system but those with atypical brain functions had an upper hand when it came to mental recovery. Plus there were the other people we had rescued from the warehouse who were obviously not here now. They hadn't left the room without help and my only source of a logical explanation was her. I had to contain her so I could manage the situation.

I quickly assessed the room. I hadn't been here too many times and when we brought our guests up, I was too busy playing doctor that I didn't give it too much notice. It was a circular dome with one bed directly opposite the door and two beds flanking the door on each side. Save for the beds and the drip stands, the room was bare of anything that could be used as a projectile or a weapon - a fortunate development considering we didn't know or trust the guests we had settled there. The girl herself was small, about five foot four. Her hair was long enough to grab at with both hands; that would give me an advantage if we had to scuffle. Her stance, feet flat against the ground and centre of gravity low suggested that she had had some sort of martial arts training but she'd obviously not practiced in quite some time. And she had her hidden trump, her ability which she was yet to show. There was only one thing to do.

"What's your name?" I asked, dragging out every word so my voice came across non-threatening. From the suspicion with which she was watching me, being overly friendly would have made her instantly distrust me.

"Zoe." She replied warily.

I took a step forward, a small one so she didn't freak out.

"Zoe, we rescued you from the men who kidnapped you. We're not the enemy here. The other people you were here with, your friend and her dad, they need a lot of help before they can go home."

She shivered again. The strain of fighting the weakness in her muscles was getting to her but the adrenaline her body was pumping was keeping her on her feet. I needed to calm her down.

"We should go get them so they can get some rest."

"No. They're better off on their own." She replied curtly.

I took another step forward, she pretended not to notice. "Are they on the grounds? This is a school. And our security will arrest them if I don't find them first."

"They're not on the grounds. I took them out of here and found someone to take them where they needed to go."

"Why didn't you follow them?"

"Well I figured if we all left, there'd be no one to tell you all what happened and you'd be obligated to call the police. Besides, I can help you."

I paused. "Help us?"

"Yes, I know where the girl you people are looking for is, Alyssa is her name, no?"

"If you know where she is, why don't you just tell me so I can go get her?"

"No. I want to come with. Besides, the assholes who took us need to pay, if and when I find them."

"You don't exactly inspire trust."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't trust you either. Do you and your friends want my help or not?"

I was barely four steps away now. I was sure the others would never let me live it down if she escaped while under my watch. It was already bad enough the other people she had been brought here with were AWOL. My moment came soon enough. She tried to take a step away from me and the shift in her gravity caused her to sway. I sprang into action and ran for her, my shoulders brought low enough that my impact would hit her at the diaphragm and take her down. It was supposed to be a fool-proof tactic, so you can imagine how shocked I was when she sidestepped me and rammed her elbow into my spine. I howled and fell to the ground, howling some more when her dead weight hit me flush behind the neck. It took all my strength to roll her off me and get back on my feet. I nudged her with a tentative foot and sighed when she didn't move. The effort required to perform her frankly unnecessary kung fu move had knocked her out cold. That was it though; I wasn't taking any more risks with Zoe. I found some rope and tied her hands behind her back and stalked off to go find Roberto.