Issue 1 Downtime

Drew looks at Mel. He is absolutely enraged at this thought. His eyes have shifted to a feral yellow color and his teeth become a row of sharp points.

"They're scared of you, aren't they?"

"Does this look like something they'd do to someone they aren't terrified of?" she glances over at the IV, one hand reaching up to the collar around her neck in a very calculated gesture of vulnerability.

"I want to hurt them," Drew says. "Can you help me?"

"Not as long as I'm in here. They'll take me back to my cell soon, especially if they find you here with me."

"Then we'll leave," Drew says, rather desperately. "I can help. I can look like anyone. Anyone at all."

"Oh, I know my dear. But we'll have to be quick. First we need a key to get this collar off."

"I'll bet the guard out front has it," Drew says.

"Get him in here." she says, standing up from the stretcher. She walks over to the IV she was hooked up to, grabs an unused bag and fixes the IV needle directly to it.

Drew takes a deep breath and shifts back to the nurse. He walks to the door and opens it.

"Ummm...sorry to bother you, but could I get your help with the patient? I need someone to hold her steady."

"Seriously? For a bloody IV?" he rolls his eyes. God damn first year nursing students.

"I'm sorry," Drew whines. "She just looks so....creepy."

He leads the guard in to where Mel is.

Mel waits behind the door for the guard to step into the room before stepping up behind him and jamming the IV needle into his carotid artery. His eyes go wide as Mel squeezes the contents of the IV bag into his bloodstream.

"Shit! How d--" is as far as he gets before the anesthetic takes effect and he crumples to the floor.

Drew looks shocked and amazed. "Did that kill him?"

"Not right away at the very least." she says, rifling through the guard's keys until she finds the one that unlocks the inhibitor collar. "I don't intend to stick around long enough to find out though. If you could be so kind?" she says, holding up the key and lowering her head so Drew can get to the lock on the back of her neck.

"Yeah. Right," Drew says. He takes the key and, with nervous hands, unlocks the collar for Mel.

"Aah... Much better." she says, throwing her head and hair back, her shoulders straightening noticeably.

"Five guards in the nurse's station, they haven't noticed he's missing yet." she says, nudging the unconscious guard with her foot. "One at the elevator downstairs, the rest of the floor is empty."

"Oh you've been such a good girl to come and find me. Good boy? Oh we'll work it all out later." her voice washes over Drew's mind.

Something about the sound of her voice in his head melted any defense Drew might have mustered. He was eager to please.

Whatever you want. It makes no difference to me.

"Be one of the the other security guards and help me with this." she tells him, quickly undressing the unconscious guard so she can put on something slightly less suspicious looking than the prison slacks she's in.

Drew shifted as she commanded and began to help her into the security guards clothes.

Mel pulls on the baseball cap with the Muir prison logo on it deep into her face. "That'll have to do. Now walk quickly but calmly to the elevator with me. All we have to do is make it to the parking garage before they notice anything's wrong."

"Yes, ma'am." Drew says obediently, following Mel's lead like a good dog.