I wake up in a small room painted in brown with an IV in my arm. I failed. Domino has caught me and his doctor has me hooked up to be ready for my punishment. Why wasn’t I killed in that fall?
A knock on the door reveals a nurse coming in to check on my injuries. I say nothing knowing Domino doesn’t allow his medical staff to speak to me.
“So, now that you are doing fine and awake, when are you going to tell me about Domino?” A man standing in the doorway. He slowly enters nodding at the nurse who is making notes on her little computer thing.
I turn my head, intensely staring at him in shock of what I just heard. “Are you talking to me?” I mumble.
“Yes, I am.” He replies pulling a chair out to sit, “I don’t take kindly to people who steal my things but when we caught up to you, you slipped out of consciousness. All I heard was Domino, and Jessie.”
“Is he here now? How angry is he? Just tell me so I can prepare.” I say as I pull myself up.
“I don’t think Domino would ever come here, kid. We aren’t on good terms.” He replies in a calm manner.
This is when I notice that he is not wearing scrubs.
“Wha” I stutter in disbelief.
“Let me help you out here.” He clears his throat nestled in the chair, “You stole my bike, this wild half naked girl takes my bike, rides like the wind to lord knows where then when my buddies catch you, all we can get is Domino.”
“But he isn’t here, Domino. Are you sure?” “Kid, the second I see Domino, I arrest Domino. Trust me, he isn’t here.”
“Arrest him… Oh, for kidnapping.” I whisper.
“Uh, well, I’m sure we can tag that along with the international crimes thrown at him.” He glances to the ground piecing some puzzle together, “But the thing I want to know is, how do you know Jessie. No one ever sees them together.”
“Jessie makes sure I behave for Domino.”
“Say what now…”
“Yeah, if I misbehave she zaps me,”
“Oh my goodness.” He stands and walks over to the table on the side of the bed. He picks up a translucent spider shaped sticker. “They removed this from the back of your neck. They said it conducts electricity…”
I stare at him waiting for him to get the point.
“Zaps.” He says laying the strange legged sticker back down, “Kid, were you their prisoner?”
“Domino calls me his companion.” I reply with a sigh, “He calls me Evergreen, but that’s not my name.”
“What is your name?”
I lightly grin. It’s been so very long since I have been asked my name, “My name is Madeline.”
“Wait, did you say companion?”
I nod.
He walks to the door and whispers to someone in the hall, then returns to the bed, “Ok, kid. I think I know what happened.”
“What?”
“We only heard of Domino’s companions but we never found them.”
“He gets a new one when they expire.”
“Expire…” He repeats looking at me oddly.
“That means die.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
“Sir, you know who I am. I want to know who you are.” I firmly say thinking I have a point to prove. “My name is Scott Jefferson.” He smiles then pulls out a two paged book with his name and picture. It looks official but I don’t believe it. “I’m an agent on a special task force put together to hunt down Domino and his associates, one of which is known as Jessie.”
“Wait, you mean, I actually made it. I escaped?”
“Uh…”
“I did it!” I interrupt, “You are going to arrest Domino?”
“We’re trying. This mountain is pretty big and he, well, let’s just say he’s elusive. We tracked Jessie to this spot but we still haven’t found a way to get to them, until you took my bike.”
“Who is Jessie, who is Domino?”
“Their real identities are unknown, and frankly I couldn’t care less.” He states leaning back still on the edge of my bed, “Domino runs a very intricate criminal empire that seems to have infiltrated every agency known in the modern world. Jessie is one of his go to people, but I’ve never seen her, only heard about her.”
“What will happen if you catch them?”
“I’m not one of those kill them when you find agents.”
“You should be…” I murmur.
“Domino has made it easy for so many criminals to wreak havoc. He has murdered, a lot of people, sometimes in mass killings. He wipes out his competition if it gets too competitive.” Agent Scott Jefferson is studying me as he speaks but does not frown or seem upset. “He smuggles drugs. He transports weapons. He buys politicians or blackmails them, whichever is more fun.” Scott stops for a second, scratches his head, “Jessie, I personally know nothing about. Here at this base, I was told she used to be his friend, the word they used was companion, but then he got a new friend, I guess, and she took over some of the business.”
“My question wasn’t answered, Scott.” I say eyeing him, holding back my emotions.
“Kid, my goal is make sure he suffers for the crimes he committed, and death, well that’s too good for him.”
“Jessie was his companion?” I ask quietly looking down at my hands, “How could she do that to anyone after being his companion?” I look up at Scott unable to keep my feelings at bay, tears filling my eyes, “So, I did it, I escaped?” “Kid, if you are who you say you are, then yes. The only one to ever escape Domino.”
“Can I go home? I need to check on my son, Joey.” I tremble as tears flow down my cheeks. “I’ll tell you how I got down the mountain so you can get them, but please, I want to go home!”
“Home? I don’t…”
“Yes, I live on 408 Cherry Hill Lane, Seattle, WA. Please, can I go home, it’s been two years since…”
“Kid, we aren’t in the states.” Scott Jefferson states firmly.
“Where am I?”
“Telling you doesn’t help right now. I have to get the embassy on the phone, there’s a protocol for this stuff.”
He pulls out his phone and calls a bunch of people, and as I sit in that bed I begin to hysterically cry.
I am free. I made it. I no longer need to please anyone. I am away from him, from them.