Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 5: The Asylum

Several floors below the executive suites of Brunswick Tower, Ingrid Isley sat in her office surrounded by several monitors in a custom chair that Eva and Anna had designed for her. Her new boss asked and expected a lot of her, but at least she gave her the tools to achieve those goals. Her office consisted of a massive room that had been expanded to fit in wall-to-wall computers and pieces of hardware that were designed to interface with her new headwear. They’d even knocked out two walls to expand her workspace.

The chair she sat in was a modified office chair with several different wires connected to it, the monitors, and the towers around the room. It was comfortable, but more than that it was functional. It gave her a way to link in and directly interface with the systems that she ultimately controlled. The networks of security systems, the VPN she’d implemented across the city, and nearly all of the CCTV systems around the city. All she had to do was plug in, lean back, and she could do whatever she wanted.

At the moment, Ingrid had removed her special headgear that Murray had gifted her the day she’d been freed. The bulky helmet was bulky and heavy, but it did wonders for mitigating the side-effects from that freaky witch’s powers.However, continued usage and interfacing with the virtual networks put a strain on her head and eyes. She’d developed a regiment of taking painkillers and acetaminophen periodically throughout the day. She knew that one of the best things that she could do would have to take an extended break, but that wasn’t an option with everything that Eva was hoping to work for.

Over the last year, Ingird’s moral compass had been pushed and stretched to its proverbial limits. While she had never been what anybody might consider a people person, taking down and subjugating the people of the city, her neighbors, had been harder than she had imagined. Destroying and taking over the network infrastructure had been simple enough and hadn’t bothered her in the slightest. However, it was what came afterwards that had been hard. Upon seizing control of the city’s networks, she’d been ordered to shut down the emergency response systems so that Courtney could unleash her infected masses to bring the city to its knees alongside Eva and Emily’s cult members. That had been the first of many horrific events she’d been part of and had been forced to bear witness to.

Part of her job had been to monitor the city streets, complexes, and businesses for any signs of resistance. If she found anything, she’d originally only had to report it, but then Eva had given her the drones and automatrons. Once those were online, she had been tasked with assisting in quelling the fires of rebellion and hope. While she hadn’t been face-to-face with the people she’d sent her machines after, she had seen and heard their screams and pleas for mercy as they were beaten, broken, and in the most extreme cases, killed. Those sights and sounds still sometimes haunted her nights and kept her awake.

As if that weren’t enough, Eva had also asked her to assist with redeveloping and redesigning the security systems at Murray’s island retreat. The old mental hospital had been in a state of disrepair and decay, but Dr. Murray had asked to leave the aesthetics as close to original as possible while giving her a way to lock her creations, experiments, and patients in if needed. Again, her machines and automatons had done the bulk of the work, but Ingrid had still had to see the unspeakable horrors that were taking place through the lens of the cameras. Beth had warned her of the type of monster that Dr. Murray was, but she had thought that she might be exaggerating. Sadly, she’d found that, if anything, Beth had undersold the depravity of her doctor. 

The past year had taken its toll on Ingrid’s sanity and spirit. She might not have become as unhinged as some of her counterparts, but she could feel herself slipping deeper into the throes of insanity. The combination of the strain from her integrated biotechnology and the things she’d seen were sapping her of her mental strength and wellbeing. Her sole focus remained on getting her hands on the woman that she adored and had longed for. Beth was the only thing that kept her going and the only thing that kept her clinging to sanity. 

Ingrid sighed and rubbed her temples. She stood up and stretched after a moment. The image of Murray’s island hideout was on the screens behind her. The halls where that bloodthirsty Courtney’s infected wandered, guards marching on patrol on the second floor, and that monster Chaos as she was forced to abandon her pursuit of Beth. Perhaps the most notable thing on screen was the courtyard where Beth was currently catching her breath. Ingrid had been keeping a closer eye on her crush since she’d gotten the alert that the resistance had arrived on the island asylum. 

Eva’s plan was admittedly shrewd and bordering on cruel. After the events at Blackridge Manor involving Amelia and the terror twins, Eva had hatched a scheme to lure the resistance into a false sense of security and hope. She’d instructed Ingrid to create a hole in the security network so that they could access the CCTV systems across the city blocks. It was easy enough for Ingrid, and it worked like a charm to ensnare the group after they’d managed to capture Jason Graves. Doctor Murray made a spectacle of his capture on the city streets to ensure that the heroes knew where to go, and once they’d gotten a glimpse, Ingrid closed the loop. It was long enough to let them think that they’d gotten an advantage, but short enough that they’d miss the big picture. It worked better than Ingrid could have ever expected or hoped.

Eva continued to maintain her promise that Beth would eventually be handed over to Ingrid, but she had to be captured and subdued first. Ingrid knew that much was true; she also knew that Pam and the others had to be dealt with as well. However, the thought of Beth being trapped and tortured didn’t sit well with her. Eva might have been the one in charge, but she’d seen how cunning and conniving Anna could be. There was no guarantee that she wouldn’t have some type of game or twisted experiment to conduct on Beth before she was handed over. So Ingrid had been monitoring the situation at the asylum closely with the intent of ensuring her crush wouldn’t be abused or harmed.

Up until only a short while ago, Ingrid had simply been watching and monitoring from her chair. She’d watched as Beth and Pam were cornered only for Pam to send her away with one of those weird spells in a surprisingly selfless act. Ingrid would have found it admirable if she didn’t hate the blonde bimbo as much as she did. She’d watched as Beth wandered the halls near the entrance and felt her blood run cold when Chaos reared her ugly head again and started to chase her. She’d watched with bated breath as Beth took on a group of guards, and she’d almost forgotten about the monster chasing after her. She knew how capable the Feral was, but it was still difficult for her to believe that Beth was the woman behind the mask. 

It was when Beth found herself cornered in one of the nearby rooms that Ingrid did the unthinkable. Chaos was closing in and was going to get her cold hands on the woman she loved, but only if Ingrid refused to intervene. The shutters on the windows were all automated along with the locks on the doors. All it took was a flick of a switch, or in her case a few simple keystrokes, to give Beth a way out. She couldn’t stop herself, she couldn’t let that monster get its hands on her. She gave Beth the means to escape and survive for a little while longer.

Ingrid walked over to the small table in the corner of her office. There was a bottle of pills and a pitcher of water resting on it that she desperately needed. She grabbed the pitcher and poured herself a glass of water with shaky hands. Some of the water splashed onto the table from her shaking hands. She set it down on the table and opened the bottle to take two white pills. She popped them into her mouth and took a drink of water in hopes of extinguishing the headache and steadying her nerves. 

“Dammit, Miri, stop asking me where we’re going!” someone snapped from behind the door, “I know this isn’t the way to the exit, you dolt. What happened to trusting me, hmm?”

“Sorry, boss, I’m just confused,” another woman quickly said from behind the door, “Of course I trust you, but I’m curious and confused as to why we’re here and not leaving.”

They were getting closer. Ingrid frowned and reached down to fumble for a device that rested on the table beside the pitcher. A blue-steel bracelet that she slapped onto her shaky wrist that activated. A small barrel extended from the top of the bracelet and a targeting laser shot out and at the door. Ingrid narrowed her eyes as the handle turned and a disheveled familiar woman casually stepped into the room at a leisurely pace as though she belonged. Ingrid might not have been the most social, but even she recognized the infamous Footgirl from her countless crime sprees.

Alexis Hamliton stopped and her eyes crossed to look at the laser between her eyes. “Hmm, I’d say we’re in the right place,” Alexis grinned, and looked up at Ingrid and scanned the monitors.

“Don’t take another step,” Ingrid warned, the wrist weapon reacting to her heightened nerves.

“Hello,” Alexis smirked, “Just the person I was hoping to find. I’m guessing that you’re the little IT person around here, huh? That or maybe you’re just a computer nerd. I mean, I guess two things can be true at once.”

Alexis took a tentative step forward and her grin grew as Ingrid jerked and tensed further. “I said don’t take another step!” Ingrid snapped.

“Or what?” Alexis asked, “What are you gonna do, shoot me? Do us both a favor and lower your weapon, little girl. I’m gonna give you a little piece of advice. Don’t point a gun at Footgirl.”

“I’d listen to her, lady,” Miri chirped, “It’s always better to take her advice.”

Ingrid stared at Alexis for a second longer before her gaze shifted to MIri behind her. It was in that split second that things escalated. Before Ingrid could react, in the blink of an eye, Alexis was in front of her. She felt a callused hand wrap around her wrist and tug her forward, and she felt her left foot crash into Alexis’ shin. Ingrid tripped and flipped over onto her back. She could feel the weight from her wrist weapon slide off as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. Ingrid blinked and stared up. Alexis bent down and smirked at Ingrid. She opened her shirt to reveal her grenade riddled vest.

Ingrid’s eyes went wide and the tension in her shoulders suddenly skyrocketed. Alexis broke out into a fit of mad giggles as she suddenly pulled Ingrid back to her feet. She continued laughing as she tossed the wrist blaster behind and to her sidekick. Ingrid wasn’t sure what to think as Alexis pulled her around and shoved her back towards her chair with a surprising amount of force. Ingrid stumbled back and tried to stop herself, but she couldn’t catch herself before she fell back into her chair. She swallowed nervously and watched the unpredictable Footgirl as she sauntered into the room.

“Comfy?” Alexis asked, not waiting or caring for Ingrid’s reply, “Good, doesn’t it feel better to sit? Relax, I’m just here to have a chat. You’re…what’s her face…eye-girl, or something?”

Ingrid blinked and shook her head, “Evil Eye, Ingrid Isley.”

“Yeah, that’s the one!” Alexis exclaimed, “Ya know, for someone that’s barely seen any action, you’re surprisingly high on the food chain. Then again, there aren’t many people in the city that can drain an entire bank account and get away with it once, let alone three times.”

“Y-you know about that?” Ingrid asked.

“Course I do!” Alexis beamed, “Don’t you know who I am?”

“Y-you’re Footgirl,” Ingrid swallowed, “You’re the woman who turned the city on its head more times than I can count. What, uhm, what are you doing here?”

“Does nobody in this building communicate?” Alexis asked.

“They don’t do memos, boss,” Miri shrugged.

“Apparently not,” Alexis sighed, “Since you asked, and since you’re clearly not as important as I thought, I’ll tell you. Your boss wanted to have a little face-to-face with me. I guess you could call it a recruitment drive of sorts, but I’m here on business.”

Ingrid rolled her eyes and sat up, “No, I know that, smartass, I meant why are you on this floor?”

“Oh ho, the little girl has some spine and spark after all!” Alexis laughed, “I like that, I can respect fire a hell of a lot more than some snivelling coward. It’s like I said, I’m here on business, Ingy.”

“Don’t call me that,” Ingrid frowned, “What’s your business here.”

“I’ll call you whatever the hell I damn well please,” Alexis snapped, “Careful because things can get pretty explosive if you’re not careful. How’s about an apology before we go any further?”

“Get bent,” Ingrid said, her tone flat but her confidence returning, “You’re the one in my house, not the other way around. What do you want?”

“Wow, she’s almost as moody as me,” Miri giggled.

Alexis narrowed her eyes for a second before chuckling, “I like you, Ingrid. You’re lucky I do because I’ve ended people for taking that tone with me. So, let’s overlook that and try to be nicer, yeah? There’s no reason we can’t be friends here, and friends don’t talk to each other like that, do they?”

“I…guess not,” Ingrid said, remembering the stories she’d heard about Footgirl flying off the handle and causing havoc and terror in the past.

“There’s a good girl,” Alexis sighed, “Now I’ll answer your question. I’m here because this seems like the place where I’d find out if that footage Eva showed me was legit or not. I know Jake Blackridge better than anyone, but I also know that sometimes my heart is gonna try to trick my mind. So, I wanna talk to the girl that’s in charge of keeping the footage, and the one that’s likely in charge of manipulating it.”

Ingrid seemed to relax as she picked up on what Alexis was after. “What do you want to know?” she asked.

“Simple really,” Alexis shrugged, “I want to know if you engineered that footage, or if Jake is really back from the dead. I’ll warn you, lying to me is a sure-fire way to piss me off and get on my bad side. Remember, we’re friends, Ingrid. Friends don’t lie to each other, do they?”

“You came all the way down here for that?” Ingrid asked in disbelief, “You can’t be serious. What am I saying? I almost forgot who I was talking to here. No, I didn’t doctor the footage. Your obsession is back in the land of the living. Don’t ask me how, that’s not my department. My job is to monitor and enforce whatever Eva and the others want.”

Ingrid rolled her eyes, but couldn’t stop herself from looking up at the monitors behind Alexis and Miri. She watched as Beth walked through the overgrown courtyard. Her eyes lingered for a second too long, and Alexis seemed to notice her staring. “So what makes a girl like you decide to hitch their wagon and future to something, or someone, like the Brunswicks?” Alexis asked, drawing Ingrid’s attention away from the monitors, “You’re clearly not in this for thrills considering your job is sitting in a chair. It’s not about science because you’re not working with the mad doc, and it’s clearly not about chaos cause you’re not with that undead psycho. Judging by your getup, I don’t see it being about money either. So, why are you following these two?”

“What the hell does it matter to you?” Ingrid countered, “I’m not the reason you’re here. I told you what you wanted to know, and my reasons don’t have anything to do with Jake being alive.”

“That’s true, but humor me here, as a friend,” Alexis shrugged, “I’m a curious person, what’s wrong with that? Curiosity killed the cat, but I’ve done the whole dead thing once before. It’s funny, when you die once you really don’t have that much to lose. Judging by the fact that you’ve got the cameras turned towards one of my besties, I think I have a guess as to what you’re hoping to get out of this whole mess.”

Ingrid narrowed her eyes and reached for her headgear. The bulky piece of equipment might have been strenuous to wear, but she’d have far more control with it than without it. Unfortunately, Alexis stopped her by putting a hand on wrist. “What’s it to you?” Ingrid asked, “You’re constantly chasing after Jake, so why does it matter if I want to get the person that should be with me.”

Alexis studied her for a second before chuckling again, “I knew there was something about you that I liked. I think you’re taking me the wrong way, buddy. I’m the last person that’s gonna judge you for going after who and what you want. Now, I will say that Beth’s girlfriend isn’t big on sharing. More than that, though, what makes you so sure that you can trust Eva not to screw you over, hmm?”

Ingrid scowled at the mention of Pam. She could feel her frustrations start to bubble up again as she remembered all the times that Beth had told her that she wasn’t into girls. Her anger only grew as she recalled her last run-in with Pam and what she’d done to her. “I plan on making that supernatural witch pay and getting her out of the equation once and for all,” Ingrid clarified, “As far as Eva goes, she hasn’t lied to me yet.”

“Or maybe she’s been lying to you from the start,” Alexis said, “You’re a smart girl, though, surely you’ve thought about that possibility.”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” Ingrid replied, “All that matters is that Beth will be mine.”

“You’re willing to step on the necks of an entire city for that, huh?” Alexis asked.

“Are you gonna stop me?” Ingrid asked.

Alexis couldn't stop herself from doubling over laughing. Ingrid stared at her, bewildered and confused. She knew the woman before her was unhinged, but seeing it in person was still slightly unnerving. “Who do you think you’re talking to?” Alexis managed to ask between her fit of laughter, “I am the absolute last person that is going to stop someone like you! As long as you’re not in my way, then I’m the last person you need to worry about. No, I just can’t decide if you’re more talk and bravado, or if you’re the real deal.”

“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” Ingrid tilted her head, “You never know what someone is capable of until the time comes, right? I mean, look at you and the part you played in bringing down Goth.”

“Haha, oh I like you,” Alexis chuckled, turning back to Miri, “I like her. Don’t you like her?”

“Yeah, boss, I like her,” Miri giggled.

Ingrid sighed and stood up, “This has been great, but if you don’t need anything else-woah!”

Ingrid was suddenly pushed back into her chair before she could blink. Alexis was back in front of her and the smile on her face was gone. “I didn’t say we were done,” Alexis said, her tone far lower and more serious than seconds ago, “Another word of advice, don’t make assumptions when dealing with me. SIt down and let’s talk, Ingrid.”

Ingrid swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to steele herself to hide her nerves. The way that Alexis ebbed and flowed from mirth to malice was intimidating. “What do you want?” Ingrid asked for the third time.

“To talk, silly!” Alexis exclaimed, waving her hands in a dramatic fashion and smiling again, “Let’s talk about you, talk about me, talk about the stuffed shirts upstairs, and talk about what we want.”

Ingrid furrowed her brow and tried to follow Alexis’ line of thought. “Okay?” she shrugged, “What about it and us?”

“Let’s start with this,” Alexis began, pacing slightly, “I think it’s a fair assessment to say that you’re in this for yourself. Do I have that right? Remember, lying won’t end well for you.”

“Yeah, sure, I guess that’s a fair point,” Ingrid said.

“A self-serving pragmatist, I love it!” Alexis smirked, “That’s something that we have in common. You and I have our own goals, and if they happen to align with others then that’s great. However, at the end of the day, we’re out for number one. I respect that. You don’t really give a shit what Eva and her freaky sister do, do you?”

“As long as I’m fine and Beth is safe, then the rest of the city can burn,” Ingrid shrugged.

Alexis made a mental note of how Ingrid phrased her response. She chose not to comment on it as she continued, “We’re one in the same then; great minds and all that crap. Now that we’ve established the similarities between you and I, I think we can both say we’ve got common ground. I don’t give a damn what the stuffed shirts upstairs do with the city as long as they stay out of my fucking way. However, I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them. Well, I guess I should say as far as I can throw Voidfoot. I’m pretty sure I can toss that stick-figure Eva pretty far…”

“Is there a point to all this?” Ingrid asked in an attempt to stop Alexis from derailing herself and going on another tangent.

“I’m getting there!” Alexis snapped, “Honestly, you should learn some patience. Dammit, now I lost my train of thought. Miri, what was I talking about?”

“You were talking about how much you don't trust the big Bs,” Miri chirped, “I think you were about to make her an offer, boss.”

“Ah, that's right!” Alexis nodded, smiling down at Ingrid, "That's why it's always good to have a sidekick and follower. You ought to get one…an alive one, not one of those robo things that you have buzzing around. Anyway, let's get back to the topic at hand. So we've already established that you and I have a little something in common, at least as far as our outlooks. You're a smart girl, so I'm willing to put money down that you don't trust the big-wigs upstairs either. Just between us friends, am I right or wrong?”

“Does it matter?” Ingrid asked.

“Humor me here,” Alexis sighed, wrapping an arm around Ingrid’s neck and squeezing slightly as she added, “Ya know, since we're friends and all.”

Ingrid wiggled and forced her way out of Alexis’ grip. She could tell that Alexis intentionally released her by the way she was grinning like the Cheshire cat. “No, I don't,” she quietly replied, “The contract I signed was long A.F. and would have been easy to slip a bunch of loopholes and contingencies to take advantage of me.”

“Hmm, so you're contractually obligated,” Alexis hummed, “Interesting…very interesting. I'll circle back to that in a minute. For now, I want to talk about trust and distrust. Your lack of trust for your bosses probably outweighs your distrust for me. I'm trusting that you're willing to lean into that shared distrust we have for those untrustworthy fucks and trust me more than you trust them.”

Ingrid blinked and tried to figure out and follow Alexis’ strange rambling rant. “What?” she asked after a moment as her headache started to return.

“She's saying that you can trust her because neither of you trust the Big Bs upstairs,” Miri explained, “Duh, it's pretty obvious.”

“At least somebody is paying attention,” Alexis rolled her eyes, “Work with me, Ingrid, under the radar of course. I want you to be my eyes and ears in this cluster fuck of an operation. Keep me posted and updated on what these ass-clowns are doing, and I'll make sure that you get what you deserve here. Let's be pals, here!”

“Why would I do that?” Ingrid frowned.

“Aside from the fact that I could blow you and I to kingdom-fucking-come?” Alexis asked, showing her grenade vest again, “Because we're friends! Because you and I have a shared interest, or at least a similar one. You want Beth, and I want Jake. Both of us have someone standing in the way, and both of us are painfully aware of the fact that E and E upstairs might be an issue in getting us what we want.”

“You expect me to just take you and your word?” Ingrid scoffed, “Do I look like an idiot?”

“No, you look like you need a shower,” Alexis replied, “Ingrid, I'm gonna tell you something else you should know about me: I'm an honest person. Well, relatively speaking…I'm trying to say that you will always know where I stand on things. Here's the thing, I've already talked to the big-wigs upstairs and basically told them I'm not interested. I'm trusting you here, so I'll tell you the truth. I’m playing the field and keeping my options open here. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m gonna side with Eva and her corporate aspirations or not. Now I know I have a reputation for being a little impulsive, but I usually weigh my options before I act. Granted, I might swap on a dime, but right now I’m in wait and see mode. After talking to you, though, I can safely say I want to work with you.”

“You’re assuming that Eva is going to screw me over,” Ingrid frowned, “I’m not going to make a rash move because of a slight chance.”

“Nor should you,” Alexis agreed, “I’m simply suggesting that you hedge your bets here. I’m not asking you to do anything that’ll get you into hot water here. All I’m asking for is that you keep me informed on what’s going on. You’re a smart girl, so I’m sure you have a few back channels that you can use and avoid getting caught.”

“What exactly are you wanting to know?” Ingrid asked, “What do you want me to do?”

“I can work with this attitude,” Alexis chuckled, “Nothing that anyone upstairs will notice. Send me sites of interest, places that Eva has her eyes on, and updates on what’s happening with Jake and the others. That’s not too much, is it?”

“What do you mean sites of interest?” Ingrid asked.

“Oh, ya know, the warehouses where she’s keeping some of her weirder things,” Alexis shrugged, “Ya know, the ones where she might be keeping Murray’s experiments, the weird shit she’s dug out of the ground, and things that she doesn’t want the general public knowing about or getting their hands on. I don’t expect that in bulk, but you can trickle things over to me. Oh, and maybe you can shoot me some of the changes made to this lovely base of operations because I know that Eva’s been flipping this place on its head since she took over.”

“What makes you so sure about that?” Ingrid asked.

“Because it is exactly what I would do if I were in charge, duh!” Alexis laughed, “You don’t take over the base of your enemy and leave it unchanged, Ingrid. That’s villainy 101. Jeez, you’d think someone who spends so much time plugged in would know that.”

Ingrid dramatically rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “Anyone ever tell you that you’re kind of an asshole?”

“Again, that’s part of being a villain,” Alexis smirked, “As for your next question. Let me guess: Why should you trust me? Furthermore, why should I trust you? Am I right?”

“Well, yeah,” Ingrid shrugged.

“Because we are two sides of the same coin,” Alexis explained, “You want to make sure Beth is safe and happy, ideally with you, and I want the same thing with Jake. We both want to make sure that nobody stands in our way or stabs us in the back too. As for why you should trust me, well…let’s just chalk that up good judgment. I don’t screw my friends.”

“What about Duchess, and what about them?” Ingrid asked, pointing to the monitors showing the asylum, “Didn’t you and her have a falling out back when Jake was arrested? And I thought you were friends with Pam and the others. Siding with me will wind up fucking them over.”

“Oh, honey, you still don’t get it,” Alexis giggled, “I’m on my own side, not yours or anybody else’s. Footgirl does whatever the fuck Footgirl wants to do when she wants to do it. As for Amy, she chose to get in my fucking way despite our understanding. And as for Pammy and Beth, I didn’t say I’d be handing them directly over to you, did I? No, all I said was that we want the same thing. What I’m promising is that if big bad Eva and her freaky sister decide to fuck you over, I’ll have your back in exchange for some information. All you have to do is hold up your end of the bargain and not screw me in the process. Pretty simple, huh?”

Ingrid frowned and looked down. Was she seriously considering siding with a madwoman like Alexis Hamilton, the infamous Footgirl? It wasn’t as though she was asking a whole lot of her, though, and it would be nice to have some muscle in her corner for a change. “How do I get in touch with you?” she finally asked.

“I knew you’d come around,” Alexis smirked, snatching her hand and pulling a marker out of nowhere, “Send what you have to this address, and I’ll be in touch with you when I’m able. All you gotta do is open a backdoor channel, give me the IP, and ensure that nobody can track us. That should be easy for a super hacker like yourself.”

Ingrid looked down at her arm and the scribbles that Alexis had written on her wrist. F00TG1RL115@metro.org was scrawled across her wrist. She recognized the domain name and shook her head. It was an ancient email server from when Metropolis had first tried to start its own service. It petered out in the worst way, but there were still a handful of people that had addresses with it; Ingrid and Alexis were apparently two of a kind in that regard. “Alright, fine,” she sighed, “Now can you please get the fuck out of here? I need to rest and recharge before my next shift.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Alexis beamed, “We’ll get out of your hair. Go ahead and unlock the elevator for us. But remember, if you doublecross me, I will make you regret it. Nobody screws Footgirl over and gets away with it. Do I make myself clear?”

Alexis’ tone dropped to a serious and low one as she finished her statement. “Crystal,” Ingrid said, pressing a few buttons on her chair to unlock the doors, “You hold up your end, and I’ll hold up mine. Get out of here before somebody realizes you’re still here. I’ll wipe the footage of this to be on the safe side.”

“That’s my buddy!” Alexis beamed as she spun on her heel, “Come on, Miri. We're out of here for real this time! See ya, new friend!”

Ingrid waited until she was sure that Alexis and her sidekick were gone before she let out a shaky breath. It had taken everything she had to keep a brave face in front of Alexis and her insanity. She wasn’t sure if she’d made the right choice by choosing to side with a maniac like her, but what’s done was done. Her gut told her it was the right play, and all she could do was trust her instincts. For now, she needed to rest her head. She glanced at the monitors and watched for Beth. She needed to sleep, but she first needed to make sure that Beth wasn’t going to wind up trapped. With a little reluctance, she grabbed her headwear and put it back on. She could handle a few more hours, and maybe she could send some files to Alexis once she was done. She had to soldier on; not for herself, but for the woman she felt so close and connected to.