around behind him. Remembering that wicked looking knife she had so masterfully wielded, he started to doubt his estimation of her as an innocent. He had been in captivity long enough that he might be losing his touch.
Terror stiffened when she poked his back. Wondering what she was playing at, he held his breath and fully expected the sharp bite of that blade at any moment. When her fingertip began to tap against his skin, he frowned. Flummoxed by her odd behavior, it took him a few moments to recognize the taps as the elementary signal code he had memorized his very first year at the academy.
D.
E.
V.
I.
O.
He didn't have to pay attention to the next few taps to figure out that she was spelling Devious. Thinking of the undercover operative, Terror experienced a rush of hope. If Devious had put this strange creature in contact with him surely that meant his rescue was imminent. He just had to hold on a little while longer. He had to keep fighting.
The pressure of her finger disappeared. He heard her crouch down but couldn't see what she was doing. A few moments later, she was walking away from him and then he heard the scrape and jangle of metal as the chains holding his wrists high overhead were finally lowered. He hissed at the horrendous pins and needles sensation that traveled from his fingertips to his shoulders but figured that he should just be glad he could still feel anything.
With freedom of movement for his upper body, Terror collapsed to his knees as D.D. scurried to grab her bag and the cleaning supplies she had brought with her. He instantly tested his chains but realized she had given him only enough length to sit, sleep or reach the exposed hole in the corner where he was forced to relieve himself. It wasn’t much but he was grateful for the chance to rest.
She banged twice on the door and exited without casting a single look his way. It wasn't until the cell door had been locked again and the lights were switched off to plunge him into darkness that he caught the enticing scent of the orange again. Reaching behind him, he patted the cold ground until he felt the soft handkerchief she had used to clean her face after he had spit in it. His fingertips moved to the left and he felt the segments of the orange laid out for him.
Grabbing the package left for him, he dragged his chains to the wall and leaned back against it. He stretched out his aching, tired legs and placed the handkerchief on his thigh. One by one, he savored the orange pieces. They would probably upset his stomach after eating such thin, bland food for weeks but he didn't care. He was starving and refused to waste the chance to ingest even one extra calorie.
When the last succulent morsel was gone, he closed his eye and rested his head against the wall. In a moment of weakness, he brought the handkerchief to his nose and inhaled deeply. Behind the citrus notes lingered the smell of leather and grass and that barely floral hint that he had detected on her.
Hating himself for being so pathetic, he lowered the handkerchief but continued to clutch it in his fist. Refusing to think of those big, beautiful eyes, he turned his thoughts to Devious. The covert operative had been framed for a serious murder and publicly tried as a traitor to gain him sympathy and entrance into the Splinter faction.
Years and years of building trust and earning his reputation as a loyal member of the terrorist group had taken their toll on Devious. There had been a few times during his captivity in Devious' stronghold where Terror had seriously questioned which side the man was on these days.
Of all the people Devious might have chosen to serve as his contact, why this girl? As an asset, she was an interesting but fairly useless choice. Assets were supposed to be the invisible eyes and ears of the Shadow Force. Unable to hear, there wasn't much intel this woman could gather.
Unless…
A glimmer of an idea began to form, one that intrigued and unsettled him. How far would Devious go to keep tabs on the many strands of his tangled web of terrorists on this planet?
As Terror began to sift through his memories of Devious' status reports, he made a decision on D.D. He wasn't going to snap her neck, after