When The Heart Sings

Chapter 17

Serena's POV:

There was no trace of any damage Darien might have caused during his escape. No broken or even dented doors were to be seen. I eventually recognized one hallway and realized that we were close to Darien's room. A dozen guards with odd weapons lined the hallway outside the room.

The door was open, although the new door swung inwards now instead of swinging out. I blinked as I saw the room. It had changed. It was much larger now and held two sturdy cages along the back wall. Inside each cage, a person with glowing eyes glared at us from their seat on the beds.

I paused at the sight of them, but a rifle dug into my back, sending me stumbling forward with a wince. Dr. Halbert went to the far corner and picked up a light chain with an ankle cuff attached. The guards once more held me as he attached it to my other ankle. Struggling didn't do me any good. I hadn't thought so, but I had to try something.

I backed away from them as the chain clinked and followed me. Dr. Halbert was already leaving the room, "I hope you enjoy our hospitality. I advise against touching those cages though, they are electrified with enough power to knock you out cold."

With that parting comment, he and the last of the guards left the room. The chain was a light thing that tethered me to the wall with a long lead. It was strong enough to hold me, although I knew it was no match for any Tarulk's strength. They only needed it to keep me here until Darien came for me. It was obvious that they hadn't had any luck in forcing their two latest victims to cooperate.

The older man was ignoring me while the blonde woman scowled at me. This must be Alex and Jessica. I was once more the unwelcome human. I shook my head as I looked around. There was a small mattress on the floor in this corner and a tiny bathroom barely big enough for the toilet and the smallest sink I had ever seen. After being in that car for several hours, I needed a washroom.

Thankfully, there was no camera in the washroom. That would have just been creepy. I quickly used the washroom and came back out.

Two cameras hung on the ceiling in opposite corners as they watched us. For the lack of anything to do, I sat on the mattress and leaned against the wall. It was distinctly odd to not be sitting on Darien's lap with his arms around me. My heart ached with his absence.

I knew they would be watching me closely for the first while. I crossed my legs and put the ankle with the shock band on top. I examined it as I pretended to try and find a way to get it off. The way it had come off last time had probably taken them by surprise, and they would be watching to see if it might be something I had done.

I picked along the invisible joint where I had seen the clasp close. The band was just as tight as before and I could barely spin it. I gently hummed as quietly as I could while pretending to attempt to tug it open. There wasn't any sort of keyhole to be seen or felt, so I figured that I might as well try the same notes I had last time.

I paused in surprise. The notes were the same. It was a good thing I had not sung them in the same order, or else it would have fallen off then and there. It was the exact same band.

That had been easy. I continued fiddling absentmindedly with the black band as I turned my attention to the ankle chain. I was surprised to find such a cheap lock in a place like this, but I supposed there was no sense in wasting money on something that only had to hold a lightly built female for a few days. They knew Darien would rip it to pieces if he showed up.

I memorized the sequence for later. As much as I didn't want the two Tarulk loose in the same room as me, no one deserved to be held in this place. I started testing out the locks to their cages. I sighed and tried to pull the black band off before complaining, "Stupid thing just fell off last time..."

The two Tarulk ignored me, but I was pretty sure whoever was watching and listening to the video feed was paying attention. I kept picking absentmindedly at the black band. Several minutes later, I had the tune for the man's lock down pat and memorized.

I was once more surprised when I realized that the female's lock was the exact same as her companion's. Well, if they wanted to make it easy for me, they were sure doing a good job of it.

What else could I do to help Darien when he finally arrived? I didn't have any doubt that he would show up, and most likely sooner rather than later. I gave up tormenting the black band and looked around. The big door that led into this room looked problematic. It was even thicker than the last one Darien had destroyed and I bet the woven mesh on the surface was electrified since it looked just like the stuff on the cages beside me.

Leaving me in boredom in a place I didn't want to be in was a bad move on their part. My magic allowed me to be the queen of sabotage. I brought up my shackled ankle as I pretended to examine it, although my humming was actually focused on the massive door. I wasn't entirely sure if Darien could break it down even if his strength was still intact.

I set about correcting that. Plants grow, rain falls, and metal rusts. They just need time – or a nudge. Fifteen minutes later, the centers of the massive deadbolts were crumbly rust, yet the outer shell looked pristine. The wire that fed the electricity into the door was nothing but a plastic sheath with rust inside. It would not carry any electrical current. I quickly replicated that feat with the various wires feeding the cages beside me.

It wasn't enough for my peace of mind though. What else could I do? I rubbed above my heart as it missed Darien. It didn't do anything to ease the growing pain. I couldn't even imagine what he was feeling if it was hitting him harder than it was hitting me.

"Must you keep humming?" The woman seemed irritated. I guess the humming was annoying even if that wasn't my goal. I could only imagine her reaction if she discovered that this cage was no longer able to hold her.

I gave her an odd look, "I can barely hear it, how can you hear it all the way over there?"

She snorted and closed her eyes as she proceeded to ignore me, thinking I was put there to try to gain information from them. The man was watching me in curiosity, but no real animosity. He turned his gaze back to the open doorway as a guard walked by.

I shrugged and went back to my preoccupation as I considered my options. The wires and deadbolts were taken care of, what else could I do to that door? Ah, the lock itself.

It was currently unlocked, so I couldn't determine the combination, but I didn't need to. I resumed my hum as I altered my pitch and tone. Another fifteen minutes later, I fell silent. That lock must have cost them a small fortune. Too bad it was now so rusted that it was completely seized up. It would never lock again.

I looked around, but other than the cameras, I couldn't see anything else for me to do. The half an hour had been an excellent exercise in ways to rust various types of metal alloys. It wasn't something I had really practiced before, but this had bumped my skill up a notch or two.

A few gentle humming tones tested out the camera wires. If the scientists lost camera or audio feed, it would gain immediate attention. The thin wire would take half a minute for me to destroy once I started. I would leave that for when I knew Darien was breaking in.

There was nothing more for me to do. Without my subtle song to distract me as I tried to figure out notes and tunes, I found that Darien's absence was the main thing on my mind. It was safe to say that the bond was once more unsettled. I could feel it in the way it twisted and pulled. It didn't like the distance between us. Well, neither did I.