Radda tat tat, machine gun fire blazing. Grenade explosions are coming closer and closer. Time is running out. Steve tries to yell over the explosions "Stay where you are! I'm coming."
Joans tears form a puddle at her feet.
"Joan! GET DOWN!"
A grenade flies overhead. Joan looks up at Steve with an innocence only seen at birth.
"NOOO!"
Steve is shocked. He just sits there. THWAP. Blood pours. In the next seconds, Steve remembers the night.
A leaf smacks into the window startling Joan. She looks up and sees a man standing, staring at her. He notices that she sees him. Extremely embarrassed they both look away. He walks away. Joan notices and knocks on the window. He looks back and sees Joan motioning to come in. He smiles and declines with head motions. Joan accepts his answer and continues with the book display. He stops near the entrance and reconsiders. Joan sees him enter and is confused. She stops setting up the display and steps over to him.
"I see that you have reconsidered my offer."
"Yes I have"
An awkward silence.
"I'm sorry, I'm Joan, and you are?"
"Aricrates, but my friends call me Steve."
"Wow, I like that name, is it Greek?"
"Its a mix of Aristotle and Socrates"
"Thats creative. Are your parents writers?"
"No, my father is a scientist and my mother was a psychologist."
"Would you like to sit down?"
Steve begins to think this is going good for a first meeting.
While sitting down Joan realizes she is still at work.
"Can you excuse me, Ill be back in just a sec."
"Ok"
Joan rushes over to her boss and asks.
"Shay, can I take my break there is this really cute boy and"
"Yes honey, go get him hes a fine snatch"
she says glancing over to Steve.
"Just remember you owe me one."
"Thank you so much Shay"
Joan sits back down across from Steve
"Joan, I would love to stay and chat, but I have this experiment going and my partner is watching it for me. So maybe if I could have your phone number I could give you a call and we could get a night out or something."
"One sec let me get a piece of paper"
Joan walks to the desk and grabs a note pad and writes her number with the up-most perfection.
"Here you go you can call me before noon or after 10 during the week."
"Ok, thanks I am really sorry I cant stay and chat. I really look forward to seeing you again."
They part ways. Joan has a smile on her face the size of Grand Cooley. Steve's heart pounds with a beat not known to him.
Steve arrives back at the lab. Climbing through a jungle of tubes, wires, and computers he explains the whole situation to his short and stout partner, Andrew. Who just stands there slightly glaring and then remarks
"She better not become more important then the experiments."
"Andrew, you know the experiments mean more to me then anything."
"I know but women have strange effects on men."
"You have never even held a conversation with a girl since the 3rd grade. What do you know?"
"I have read enough about them"
"HA! Are you kidding me?"
"Fine laugh now, you'll see."
Steve scoffs and walks to his makeshift bed in a corner. Holding the paper with the curly numbers so cautiously written and wonders when to call. He sets it on the desk and closes his eyes.
"STEVE! What are you doing? Why are you sleeping? We have a deadline!"
"Whaaa..? OH SHIT."
Steve scrambles out of bed and throws on his lab coat. A shooting pain in his head stops him dead.
"Steve whats wrong?"
"I don't know its my head."
The pain fades away like it came.
"Whoa, that was weird, its gone now."
"Should you get it check out?"
"No I'm fine now, lets get to work."
They check there gear and jump into the work of a project Steve's father had given them. He hadn't told them much; he just said was that it was for a larger project. Steve didn't question him about it knowing his fathers work sometimes involved high secrecy.
"Thats it we've done it!" Steve and Andrew both scream.
"Well take it to my father in the morning. I am going to go celebrate with Joan she is getting off work now."
"Man I'm telling you shes trouble."
"Ya? What do you know mister book reader?"
Steve grabs the paper and runs to the phone. He carefully dials.
"Hello?"
"Is this Joan?"
"Ya, who is this,?"
"Its Steve, hey is you doing anything tonight?"
"Not that I know of, what did you have in mind?"
"Me and my partner just finished for the night and I wanted to celebrate."
"Oh well do you want to get a drink? I know this place that I go to after work..."
"Ya thats perfect do you want me to pick you up?"
"Sure, its on 5th Street, the number is 12423."
"I know right where that is, say ten minutes?"
"K, see you then."
He hangs up the phone and runs around frantically getting ready. He breaks open the bottle of cologne that he got for Christmas two years ago.
Joan is stressing out on whether to go conservative or liberal in her dress choice.
Meanwhile she is cleaning her already spotless living room.
Steve drives up and Joan is just finishing up the last touches on her eyes.
DING-DONG!
"Ill be right there Steve!"
She fiddles with her hair and double checks everything.
"Coming"
She opens the door. A man in solid black stands there. For a split second, Joan glances over her shoulder and Steve is being carried away unconsciously to the back of a van.
The man puts a cloth over Joan's mouth. She struggles but is overcome with the strong odor of the drug. The man picks her up and puts her into the back of the van with Steve.
<*>
Lights flash around Joan's head. She blinks but her eyes are still heavy with sleep.
"Shes awake. drug her again."
"Ok, boss."
Joan tries to struggle but her body doesn't respond. She falls into sleep again.
<*>
"There are to be held father let.go."
<*>
Joan's head spins in a world of confusion. She can only hear bits of what the guards are saying. Her body is squirming with her commands, but ropes around her ankles and wrists prevent her from much motion. Steve is next to her still asleep. He is mumbling in his sleep. Joan wriggles closer to wake him. She elbows and knees him. Steve moans.
"What is going on? Why cant I move? Where am I..? Joan..?"
"Steve we've been kidnapped."
"What!?"
"Yes and apparently by someones father."
"How do you know that?"
"I overheard the guards talking about it. Who would do this Steve?"
"I think I know."
"Who? Tell me."
"Ok you should know what you are in for. The experiments I have been working on are part of a top secret project given to me by my father. Andrew is my partner; His father however is insane and is my fathers rival scientist. When my father got this project instead of Andrews father he became crazier then ever and started to hire a small army and build underground forts in the mountains. I am assuming we are in one of those."
"Wow, but what do I have to do with this?"
"I don't know did you see anything? They might of thought you are apart of the experiments."
"Well I opened my door and saw you getting thrown into the van."
"Now that we know what is going"
"Hey you open this door, let me see those little devils."
"Thats him Joan Id recognize his voice anywhere. Don't tell him anything."
Joan nods.
"Ahahaha you think you could get away with completing my experiment. Well now you know better. Don't mess with me Aricates. I will destroy you and your father."
Steve spits out a little blinking device.
"What is that?"
"Its a homing device to track me, my father and Andrew. We are working for the government and they like to keep track of us. The national guard and FBI should be here any moment now."
A soldier poorly dressed and helmet his covering his face runs up.
"Sir, The National Guard and FBI are here. They are about to break into the east entrance."
"Who is this I would never hire a soldier so short and so poorly dressed."
WHAP! A blow from the soldiers rifle butt knocks the evil genius out cold.
"Steve and, I'm assuming, Joan. Its me Andrew lets get out of here."
"Andrew thank god you are here. Help us out of these ropes."
Andrew cuts the ropes and the three of them run out of the cell as Andrews father wakes up.
"ANDREW! You are no longer my son. GUARDS! Kill all of them."
Nearby guards start to open fire. The three run east towards the oncoming rescuers.
THWAP! AHHHH! Steve and Joan turn around. Andrew lays there cold as death comes.
"No. Andrew you cant die."
Steve holds the limp body in his arms. Joan screams at Steve from behind a nearby box.
"We need to get out of here; well come back for his body. Andrew is dead."
Radda tat tat, machine gun fire blazing. Grenade explosions are coming closer and closer. Time is running out. Steve tries to yell over the explosions
"Stay where you are! I'm coming."
Joan's tears form a puddle at her feet.
"Joan! GET DOWN!"
A grenade flies overhead. Joan looks up at Steve.
"NOOO!"
Steve is shocked. He just sits there. Joan and Andrew the only two people in his life that he truly loved are dead.
THWAP. Blood pours from Steve's stomach. His body collapses on top of Andrews body.
|
Submission Name: Missing Coincidence
