Trapped in a 5-Second Future: A Landlord's Cold War Trap in Arlington
👉 [Previous Decision]: You are continuing from CHAPTER 6 or CHAPTER 7.
A harsh metallic clanking echoed through the chamber, followed by a sudden, biting chill in the air. Holloway had cut off the heating vents. Clara shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. The ambient temperature dropped steadily, settling at a frigid 42 degrees Fahrenheit. He was trying to break her physically, to make her predictable again.
The intercom crackled. Holloway’s voice, now calm and almost casual, announced, “I’ll be out for a while. More ‘security notices’ to distribute. Keep an eye on her, Kincaid. Don’t let her disrupt the readings.”
A moment later, Clara heard the heavy thud of a door closing above. Holloway was gone.
A few minutes passed in cold silence. Then, a faint scraping sound came from directly above her head, near one of the ventilation shafts. A quiet whisper drifted down.
“Mrs. Higgins?”
Clara looked up. Sergeant Kincaid’s face, pale and strained, appeared in the vent opening. He was alone on the catwalk above the observation room. He must have snuck away from Dr. Aris.
“Sergeant Kincaid,” Clara whispered back, her breath misting in the frigid air.
“I… I hate what he’s doing,” Kincaid murmured, his voice barely audible above the low hum of the inert screens. His eyes darted nervously around the empty control room. “Threatening to commit you. Spreading those lies about you abandoning your duties.”
Clara watched him, her mind working furiously. This was her chance. Kincaid was clearly conflicted, his conscience warring with his fear of court-martial. Holloway’s absence gave them a window.
“The things he said on the radio,” Kincaid continued, his voice tight. “About you being a security risk. It… it doesn’t sound like the woman who cared for all those veterans. My uncle was one of them, Mrs. Higgins. From Korea. He spoke of nurses like you, sacrificing everything.”
Clara nodded slowly, letting his words sink in. He wasn’t just sympathizing; he had a personal connection to her work. Holloway had made a grave miscalculation. He had underestimated the power of Clara’s reputation, built on decades of genuine, selfless care.
The cold was seeping into her bones, making her teeth want to chatter. But she held firm. She needed to present Kincaid with a choice, a way to act on his clear moral distress without feeling like he was betraying his country. She needed to give him something concrete.
The faint glow of the CRT screens barely illuminated the frigid chamber. Clara looked at Kincaid, sensing his profound discomfort. He was teetering on the edge, needing only a slight push in the right direction. This was her moment to turn an ally.
Choose your next action
Ask Sergeant Kincaid to fetch her private bank book from her apartment upstairs to prove her funds are clean? — Read CHAPTER 9 to continue
B
Convince Sergeant Kincaid to bypass the hydraulic lock valve on the main blast door? — Read CHAPTER 10 to continue
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