S1W13: “Sinners We”

© 2012 Phylicia Joannis

Chuck sipped his fourth cup of coffee as he slipped back into the equipment room. The two technicians were hard at work; the first was recording all the data picked up by the drones, the second was trying to reboot Drone One’s camera. Chuck watched as the monitor flickered to life, then blacked out again.

“What are you doing?” Chuck asked.

“Trying to get the backup systems to come online,” the technician replied. His tone was distracted as he bounced from one keyboard to another. “If there’s not too much damage, I think we can redeem Drone One and gather data from the point of entry.”

Chuck’s heart skipped a beat. He shook his head. “Don’t bother. We’ve finished the rescue effort, now it’s time to shut it down.”

The technician scoffed. “I’m not letting thousands of dollars of equipment sit in a tunnel indefinitely. I mean, we worked hard on the Drones. If I can get it back online, we can find out what’s going on in the tunnel and probably fix whatever problem caused this whole mess.”

Chuck frowned. If Drone One discovered the missing car, his career would be defunct.

“Forget the drone and shut it down,” Chuck snapped. “You’re wasting time.”

“Are you serious?” the technician scowled. “I put a lot of hours into this thing! Chuck, I promise you, just give me a few more minutes and I can get it back online. You know I can.”

Chuck knew he could.

“I’ve got my supervisor breathing fire down my neck,” Chuck ran his hands through his hair in nervous anxiety. “Do you think she’s going to be happy that I let you stay and work on this failed drone when we’ve got a statement to make? They’ll be bringing Drone Two in here within the hour. Get it ready for display and get a list together of possible questions.”

“I’m not a PR person,” the technician griped. “I work with data and manipulate electronics. I don’t make speeches.”

Chuck pressed a blank sheet of paper into his chest. “You do now. Focus on this, or find another job, are we clear?”

The technician sulked and grabbed the sheet in compliance.

Chuck stormed out of the room, his forehead dripping with sweat.

***

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and glowered at the Complainer. He was watching us fearfully as he clutched his bag.

With good reason.

The Complainer was backed into a corner. The Nurse, the Congressman, the Climber and I surrounded him.

“Give us the bag!” the Nurse demanded.

The Complainer looked at her hand and frowned. He pulled his bag closer and shook his head.

“We’re all hungry,” Dreadlock glowered. He was leaning against the porcelain slab. “You’ve got no right to hold out on us. Give her the bag!”

The Complainer cowered, but his grip didn’t loosen.

“Don’t be foolish,” the Congressman spoke gruffly. “Give us the bag!”

“I’ll make him give it to us,” the Nurse pulled out a pair of shears from her bag and waved them around the Complainer’s face. His eyes grew wide in apprehension.

“Hey, take it easy,” the Climber glanced at the Nurse, speaking barely above a whisper. The Nurse shot him a look and he closed his mouth.

The Nurse spoke quietly to the Complainer, in a deadly calm voice. “Give me the bag, or I’ll pry it from your fingers.”

The Complainer gulped.

My lips were parched. My stomach growled. My patience grew short.

“Give us the bag!” I lurched forward and grabbed at the bag. The Complainer pulled away from me, and I hit my head on the side of the car. Moments later, I felt his grip around my neck.

“Everyone, back away!” he screeched. Nobody moved, and the Complainer gripped my neck tighter.

I yelped.

The Congressman frowned and quietly spoke. “Do as he says.”

He and the Nurse moved back.

“You too!” the Complainer sneered at the Climber. He also took a few steps back.

“If any of you comes any closer, I’ll snap her neck!” the Complainer spoke in erratic, wild tones, and I worried he might do just that.

“Just take it easy,” the Congressman tried to persuade the Complainer.

He scoffed. “Take it easy? You people were about to cut my fingers off, and you want me to take it easy?!”

The Complainer’s grip tightened and I gagged.

I was in trouble.

“Don’t do anything rash,” the Congressman continued. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Unless it’s me, right?” the Complainer sneered. “I have a right to keep what’s mine, but you were going to take it from me!” He looked at the Nurse and pointed.

“You! You wanted to hurt me for what’s in this bag. MY bag!”

The Nurse shook her head. “I only wanted to scare you. Let the girl go.”

I tried to cry out, but his grip was getting tighter and it was hard to breathe.

“Why should I?” the Complainer screeched in my ear. “So you can pry my bag from my fingers with those?” He pointed to the shears she still held in her hand.

“No one is going to hurt you!” the Nurse glanced at me as she placed the shears back in her bag. “I’m sorry, okay? Just let her go!”

“Look, we’re all tired and hungry,” the Congressman added. “Our nerves are on edge. Let’s just take a step back and calm down, okay?”

The Complainer shook his head. “Calm down? I was minding my own business; you’re the ones who need to calm down!”

“Let the girl go and we’ll all calm down,” the Congressman bristled.

 The Complainer frowned “You people are hypocrites! You may think I’m an awful person, but I never pretended to be anything else. You’ve all been pretending to be better, putting on these friendly airs, but you’re all fakes! The moment you saw me as a threat you tried to attack me!”

“What did you expect?” Dreadlock snapped. “You’re keeping all that food for yourself while we starve!”

The Congressman gave him a look that said he wasn’t helping the situation. Dreadlock became quiet and all eyes returned to the man with my life in his hands.

“You got something to say to me?” the Complainer spat at Dreadlock. “Some punk drug dealer?”

The Complainer looked at them. “You all think you’re better than me, but you’re not! None of you fooled me; I knew who you were the minute you stepped into this train.”

“And how do you figure that?” the Nurse’s tone was mocking.

“Twenty years as a lawyer taught me how to read people,” the Complainer glared at her. “Let’s take you, for example. You carry around that medicine bag because you’re training to be a nurse, right? That kind of schooling is expensive.  How do you pay for it?”

The Nurse turned a shade of pink and looked away.

The Complainer glanced at the Climber. “And you, Mr. Hot Shot, what do you do for a living? Nothing! You’re a washed up stock broker anxious to get out of town before his clients know he’s conned them!”

The Climber opened his mouth, then shut it.

“Hey, this isn’t necessary,” the Congressman cut in.

“Don’t even get me started on you,” the Complainer snarled. “The Disgraced Congressman with an unscrupulous past. Not one of you here is better than me!”

The Congressman turned red. “Now, you listen to me-“

“He’s right,” the Old Woman spoke quietly. We all turned and looked at her.

“Not one of us is righteous, no not one,” she stated. “All are like sheep, gone astray. We are all lost sheep in need of a shepherd.”

The Complainer groaned. “And we have the Old Woman with a feeble, religious mind. My favorite.”

The Old Woman looked at him sternly. “I’ve lived a long time, sir. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, done things I’m not proud of. Have you noticed that all of us here have something in common? We have a past we don’t want anyone to know about. Even you.”

“I never said I didn’t,” the Complainer defended. “I just wanted you all to admit you’re no better.”

“We aren’t,” the Old Woman acceded.

“She’s right,” the Nurse nodded, then looked at the Complainer. “I’m no better.”

“Neither am I,” the Congressman added.

Dreadlock shook his head. “I know I’m not.”

The Climber bit his lip. “I’m not better either.”

The Complainer looked at all of us and nodded before loosening his grip.

I coughed and sucked in the stuffy, yet refreshing air. The Complainer removed his arm from my neck and I darted away, behind the Congressman.

“So, now that we’ve established that we’re all sinners,” the Complainer spoke sarcastically, “how do you propose we get out of here?”

We all looked at the Old Woman.