Man on the Inside

Man on the Inside - Part 7

The sound of water rushing by outside was unusually soothing to Louis, like rain pattering on a window but to a louder, more muffled degree. As William took his brief shower, the blonde agent was steadily being coaxed to sleep. It had been so long since his last cup of coffee that he could barely keep his eyelids open. He pinched his leg and smacked his face to keep himself awake. Sleeping in stomach acids was not his first option for a bed.

Maybe when Will is asleep I can try to climb my way up his esophagus? Or I could try making him vomit.

But his ideas were ridiculous even to him. What would he do once he was outside? Drip? Get stepped on?

Not long after the sound of water vanished, Louis heard William.

"I'm setting my watch alarm for 3 A.M. so we can get an early start towards the base. The E.S.S. should be good well past 5."

"Fine by me," said Louis. He heard a slow, dry gulp and a cough. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm thirsty. I need some water."

"Not while I'm in here!"

"It's just a mouthful, Louis. I'm parched."

He was about to scream an order at his partner, when tiredness resigned him to let it go and all he could do was growl. What good would it do him? It wasn't like he was in a position of power; he was barely three inches tall and stuck inside another person. Why would William listen to him when he was like this?

Louis grimaced as he heard another gulp and water leaked through the entrance. It was barely enough to raise the puddle in the chamber, but he still didn't like it.

That damn fanboy rookie is responsible for this mess; he should damn well suffer a little hunger and thirst until I'm back to normal.

He slid again, dragging against the still healing welt as William lay down. The younger agent hissed and shuddered.

"Louis..."

"Hey, you didn't give me any warning you were going to move."

William reclined slower, his voice thick with exhaustion. "I bet people in the FBI don't have to deal with this kind of thing."

"You wanted to join the FBI?"

"Thought I did when I was in elementary school. Didn't realize you needed a degree in accounting."

"Why the hell did you join The Watch anyway?"

"I wanted to change the world."

"You couldn't have joined the Salvation Army or Greenpeace?"

William's voice went sour. "I did."

"Then why'd you quit?"

"Good night, Louis."

Guess I touched a nerve. Louis yawned and glanced around at the rippling walls. He shuddered at the thought of having to sleep and then wake up in this closed off space.

I bet I'm going to wake up afraid I'm being buried again.

---

Rachel managed to catch 45 minutes of sleep on a cot in the busy Tech area before a frustrated curse broke through her already fading dream. Cetz was pacing back and forth in front of his computer, his fingers snapping at random as he muttered bitterly under his breath. Other techs working at their desks were accustomed to his mood and kept working.

"Trouble in paradise?" she muttered.

Cetz glared at the screen as he paced. "I'm waiting for this file to decode, and it's taking forever."