Twenty-five minutes earlier

Hannah picked up a piece of toast and took a small bite. It was cold, soggy and she struggled to swallow it. A small sip of orange juice helped wash it down. She placed the rest of the slice back on the plate and put the plate on the tray; a pile of cooling pastries and a jug of coffee sat untouched. The tray annoyed her. It was a heavy, ornately decorated silver tray, which wouldn't have been out of place in a luxury hotel, but here, against the sparseness of the room and the sparseness in her heart, it looked vulgar. She pushed the tray across the table away, revealing an array of freshly printed magazines beneath. Her image looked back at her. The headline on the glossy rag was hard to ignore- 'Flawless'. Written beneath that in a smaller, Italic font was the subheading, 'Hannah's journey from Flawed to Perfection'. The urge to throw is away struck and she rolled the magazines into a cylinder and launched them at the waste paper basket by the door; she missed.

Hannah had been back in room two- hundred and fifty for just under an hour. Overnight, she'd been moved to another room with a bed and a small en-suite bathroom. The room had been stocked with pretty much everything she needed. Somebody had taken the time to find clothing that fitted her perfectly and a large selection of make-up and toiletries had been provided and yet it all remained untouched. The only thing she had taken advantage of was a hot shower and clean underwear. She remained in the now, slightly grubby clothes she'd arrived in. Briggs was apparently visiting her later on, to see if she had 'calmed down'. Hannah had spent most of the night awake, chastising herself for her outburst. For all this time she had said nothing, bitten her tongue and yet, yesterday she couldn't help herself. They could do what they liked to her, but not her parents, her real parents, the good, kind people who always seemed to lose.

The magazines lay sprawled over the floor by the door. She walked over and picked them up, stuffing them deep into the bin. If only the rest of my life could be tidied up so easily.

Hannah approached the door and tried the handle again. There was no key hole so Hannah surmised it had a manual lock on the outside. She wished she had taken greater notice of it when she came in. Walking over to the window, she tried to orientate herself. The window was small and high up, and on tip-toes she could just make out some roof tops below. The sight was drab at best. The sky was a turbulent grey, dark, bulging clouds looming heavily over the city. Even the sky, felt oppressive here. The sound of the door opening made Hannah jump.

"Miss Page, is there anything I can get you before my shift ends?"

A uniformed guard named Jack stood at the door smiling at her. It was an odd situation to be in, on the one hand she was being held a prisoner and yet everyone who she came into contact with, treated her like she was a paying guest or a VIP.

"No, thank you?" Hannah said and looked back towards the window.

"General Briggs visit will be a little delayed. Agent Scott will be up within the hour though. If that'll be all, I'll say goodbye."

Hannah heard Jack collect the tray of uneaten food, then walking over and opening the door. Feeling the weight of his lingering presence still in the room she turned back to him.

"Miss, if you don't mind me saying, you seem like a nice girl an' all, and I don't really know why you're here, but I do know that it's never a good idea to disagree with General Briggs."

Hannah laughed, she laughed so hard it made her stomach ache and she had to sit back down.

The guard flinched at her reaction and hurriedly backed out of the door. "Err...like I told you, Agent Scott will be here in a minute," he said and fled the room.

Scott! Oh, she was looking forward to seeing him. How could she have been so wrong about him? She'd saved his life and he'd then repaid her by helping Briggs lock her up. He had just walked off and left her there. But, worse than that, he now knew everything. She wondered whether he'd told Briggs everything yet. Maybe Briggs already knew, just maybe he and Scott had been playing her and Zeke all along?

Hannah thumped the table and kicked out at the chair opposite. You stupid, stupid girl!

The sound of door opening again, made her leap up, ready for a confrontation.

"Found ya!"

Mouth agog, Hannah couldn't believe her eyes. Stood before her was Tucker, her friend, probably her only friend in the world right that moment.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she shouted at him.

"Whoa, Hannah! I thought you'd be pleased to see me."

She glared at him. "You shouldn't be here; how the hell did you get in?"

"Ah, you know me, Hannah, attractive, brave and resourceful." He winked.

"And you can also add stupid to that list too". Tucker gave her his best wounded puppy look. Hannah tried hard not to smile, but found it impossible when he started to whimper.

"Seriously, Tucker, you need to leave. Get out before somebody comes."

"No can do, gorgeous girly, I'm not leaving without you."

"Tucker!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot on the floor. "You have no idea of the danger you are in. Scott will be here soon."

Tucker walked towards her and tried to envelope her in hug, her arms stiff be her sides.

"Hannah, let me help you."

Those warm, generous words, unlocked her defences. She ran into his arms and held on tightly, as if he were a life preserver in angry seas.

"Tucker, I don't think anyone can help me," she whispered to him. He stroked her hair as her body heaved with dry sobs.

"Listen, we haven't got much time. Scott should have been here by now. He and Zeke went to see you and left me in an office. If they haven't arrived yet, then they will soon. The offices are on lock down, not many people about. If we hurry, we might be able to walk out without anyone realising."

"Tucker, I can't just leave. My parents are here, somewhere, I have to find them first."

Tucker sucked air in between his clenched teeth and released Hannah. He pulled back a little and looked at her directly. "Hannah, we haven't got time to get them out...," he paused, worried how she might take his next sentence, "they might not be in a fit state to leave."

If his earlier words were undoing, these new ones were galvanising. Her eyes darkened, her petite frame seemed to grow in stature. "I know that, but I will at least try."

No longer, the small, timid bird, afraid of everyone and everything, Hannah suddenly felt stronger, more determined than ever and she knew Tucker could see this.

"Ok," he replied.

Tucker opened the door and scanned the corridor. He gestured to Hannah that it was empty and he left the room and she followed him out.

"Where to, do you think?" asked Hannah.

"This way," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the left.

They passed by a number of identical doors on either side, all numbered in ascending order. As they approached a set of windowless double doors they heard two voices approaching. Tucker grabbed at the handle of the nearest door to his right but it was locked. He checked the one to his left. Locked. They stood rooted to the spot, eyes wildly searching around them. The nearing voices became clearer. A male voice could be heard, followed by soft, feminine laugh.

"What do we do?" Hannah whispered.

Tucker looked towards the double doors.

"Quick, you stand there," he said positioning her into the corner of the door frame. He leapt to the other side and they both shrunk back as far they could as the doors opened in towards them. Hannah stopped breathing and held onto the door handle as it approached her; the door shrouding her position behind it. She only hoped Tucker had done so too.

"Room 249 is free for the next couple of hours. No one is going to miss us," said the man.

"I can't be gone that long. They'll send a search party out for me," replied the woman.

The man laughed and the woman shrieked. "You're incorrigible," she said.

"I can't help that I can't keep my hands off you."

"Shh... she's in there," the woman said quietly. Hannah knew straight away who she was talking about.

"Who?"

"Briggs' newest pet."

Hannah winced as the man and woman laughed again. She heard the sound of a door opening, another shriek from the woman and then the corridor became quiet again. She jumped as the door was pulled out of her hand.

"Let's go." Tucker grabbed her hand again and they set off, in silence.

"Recognise it?" Tucker said opening another door into a stairwell.

For the briefest of moments she didn't understand what he was talking about, but then ice seemed to erupt in her heart, as the memories of being chased down those very stairs a few days earlier came back to her. Focus!

"Where now?"

"Seventh floor, rooms five and nine."

"How the hell do you know that?"

"I dug around Scott's office desk and found a file. He has some pretty interesting stuff in there, you know!"

Hannah tried to ignore the mention of Scott's name as they descended, taking two steps at a time, unable to hide the sound of their footsteps echoing around them. As they rounded on the last set of stairs to floor seven, they stopped and Tucker squeezed her hand. They listened for the voices they were sure would be following them by now, but heard nothing. Cautiously, they approached a large door that was unlike any other they had passed by. It had a small, barred window, no handles or locks visible on their side, even the hinges were concealed.

"Oh, great! So we get this far but no further."

"Patience, Hannah." Tucker took a small grey card out from his jeans pocket. "If I pass this card against this...," he said pointing to a small black box sited waist height to the left of the door frame, "it should let us in."

"Where the hell did you get that?"

"Shh!" I found it in Scott's top drawer, I saw Zeke use one when we first came here. Thought it might be useful?"

Hannah raised her eyes and looked on her friend with a mixture of awe and amusement. "Well, aren't you the resourceful one, but how are we going to get past him? "

Tucker carefully peaked through the window to where Hannah pointed. A uniformed guard sat on a chair, reading a newspaper half way along a small corridor. Mounted at the end were two surveillance cameras.

"We need a diversion, come." Tucker pulled her hand and they went back up one flight of steps. They entered into a new corridor on the eighth floor. They tried a couple of doors which were again locked, but further up they found one unlocked. Tucker slowly opened the door to find a large changing room, direct access to the room around a screen of opaque glass. The room had two large windows looking out at the sprawling city below. On one side was a wall of lockers and coat hooks with benches in the middle, three toilet cubicles and three shower cubicles; their floors still wet. Opposite was another internal door, with a sign above it: For Level One Staff Only.

"Get in there and lock the door," Tucker instructed, pointing to one of the showers, "back in a sec."

"Tucker..." she screeched after him, but it was too late he was gone.

Hannah pushed open the beech wood door and closed it behind her. In the dry area, she saw a slatted wooden seat. She sat down and stood back up immediately, gnawing the finger nails on her right hand. Come on, she repeated to herself over and over. Several minutes later, a door opened and she tilted her head, trying to make out which one. Her hand gripped the, ready to slide it back. Tucker is that you?

A deep male cough bounced around the walls. Hannah snatched her hand of the lock. Next, she heard the sound of someone inhaling and exhaling deeply, as if they had been exercising.

The door opened again.

"Off already, Sir?" A male voice asked.

"Yes. I have a meeting. Ten minutes full-pelt on a treadmill is better than none I suppose."

"Yes, Sir. Next time we will focus on weight. You're currently pressing sixty-four kilos, but I think we should maybe add a couple more next session. See how you get on."

"Yes, thank you, Andrew."

"Don't forget to do those crunches twice daily. See you next time."

The man left and Hannah was left alone in the room with the heavy breathing man. She heard a locker door open and someone rummaging in a bag.

Hannah held her breath and prayed for Tucker to stay away. Don't burst in, don't burst in...

The door opened again.

"General Briggs. Your secretary called to say your visitors have arrived."

Hannah felt the urge to vomit and clasped her hand over her mouth.

"Very well..." Briggs said, "tell her I'll be up once I've had a shower.

Shower!

Hannah silently backed away from the door and waited. Every muscle in her body seemed to constrict, her heart beating a terrified rhythm. Bare foot steps stepped towards her and the pressure in Hannah's ears almost started to whine. The door she was standing behind shook slightly as Briggs tried pulled at the handle. A pause, then she heard him enter the cubicle next to hers and lock the door. The taps turned on and water started to rain down. She heard the snap of a lid on a bottle and Briggs began to hum a low, but cheerful little tune; it sounded alien coming from him.

Beep, beep... beeeep. Beep, beep...beeeep!

A deafening alarm sounded all around her and she heard Briggs curse.

"Hannah!" It was Tucker in a whisper barely audible above the noise of the spraying water and the infernal din from the alarm.

She gently unlocked the door, crept out and said one word, "Briggs."

Tuckers eyes widened and he snatched her hand and pulled her out of the door as the tap was turned off.

"I said I'd cause a distraction," he said and laughed.

Hannah could say no more. Tucker's actions were reckless and yet necessary. Her heart beat seemed to accelerate further.

"Wait." They stopped, just above the turn in the stairs. Out of the sealed grey door, walked the guard they'd seen earlier. He set off down the stairs, once clear, Hannah and Tucker, descended cautiously.

"Ready?" he asked.

Hannah nodded and Tucker swiped the card over the black box. A clicking sound, followed by the small hiss of an escaping vacuum and then the door opened inwards.