By David C. Daoust
Margo was used to being ignored, she got used to it a long time ago. Despite the fact she wasn’t actually a twelve year old, she was often treated as such. Sometimes in a good way, other times, not so much. She assumed it was better than being treated as an appliance though, as droids were. To be honest, it seemed the two arguing women were okay with ignoring everyone else in the room as well.
Margo felt she recognized the situation. Oftentimes scenes had to be explained to Margo, as she had a hard time relating to conflict. It seemed to her that Suzanne did not say anything truly relevant to the accusations. Margo concluded the woman was deflecting. She could almost hear her techs voice explaining this to her, as she figured it out. They did this in movies often to reveal more about a character, while still moving a story along.
To Margo this was all fun, like watching clips in production; she was part of a great big movie never to be aired. She had her ‘scoundrel with a heart of gold’ counterpart in Colin, even if she had yet to catch a glimpse of said gold, and now a plucky off beat character with a back story… She could not wait to see where it all led.
Although, notably, her off beat plucky character didn’t look so plucky once the conversation ended and the trio found themselves in the waiting room, with nothing but a security guard there to collect the holo-pad. The security guard seemed to be without words as the conference call ended without any clear instructions on what to do with the culprits.
Dakota was raging on the inside, of this Margo was sure even if the stunt-bot had only met the woman that day. Margo couldn’t blame her though, Dakota really didn’t get a word in edgewise before the snooty woman on the other end severed the communication.
Suddenly a low ring tone was heard from within the security guards jacket, he seemed somewhat relieved as he answered it, clearly, hoping for instructions on what to do with them all.
“If that’s Suzanne tell her I have more to say!” Dakota suddenly spoke up, interrupting the guard as he tried to listen to the other end, “give me that…”
“Stop,” the security guard said as he covered the mouthpiece and tried to fend off Dakota’s reaching hands, while still listening to any instructions that may be coming from the other end, “Stop it. Mam, Please!
Margo thought it was just like a comedy routine.
“Mam!” the man said again as he finally gave up on trying to hear what was being said, and held the phone up high in the air, well out of the tiny woman’s reach. Sadly, this did not stop Dakota from trying to reach the phone, and the whole situation devolved into a childish game of ‘keep away’. Margo had to cover her mouth, so as not to laugh out loud!
“Listen, it’s not her… ok,” the guard suddenly said once the woman involved her cane in the matter, striking the man’s foot to force him to bend lower, though he turned away as he did so.
“It’s not her, I’m sorry,” the man said hopping in place as he rubbed his sore foot, though still protecting the phone, “I should have said that right away. It’s my security chief!”
“Well ok then,” Dakota said simply as she straightened her hair and clothing after the ordeal, “I don’t know why you couldn’t just say that to begin with…”
“Well, I understand that,” the guard explained even-headed, “this is why I apologized… just now, for that very thing, almost verbatim.”
Margo snickered.
Dakota seemed even more disheveled than before, and the situation wasn’t getting any better.
Just as the man let his guard down, and returned to his phone call, Dakota’s cane suddenly shot out like a viper, striking the phone, knocking it into the air, which Dakota was then able to catch before the guard could figure out what just happened.
“Suzanne?!” Dakota said into the phone, Margo witnessed the blonds face light up with recognition of the voice on the other end, “I knew it was you!”
Margo flinched as the guard suddenly lunged at the blond, though it seemed Colin wasn’t having none of that, and shot out a leg as the man passed in front of him, tripping the guard. Colin quickly rose to his feet and punched the man in the head, knocking the guard out cold.
Margo wasn’t sure what was going on at this point, it seemed to go from a comedy, to an action flick in a matter of seconds. Dakota even seemed appreciative of Colin’s sudden, inexplicable, support.
“You don’t want to answer to me, Suzanne?” Dakota spoke into the phone, “Fine! I’ll find someone you will answer to!”
Dakota snapped shut the telephone, and grabbed up the Holo-pad the guard still had on his person.
“You think we can make it down to the street?” she asked Colin, referring to the large amount of security guards still stationed about the building.
“Well I don’t see what choice I have at this point,” Colin said, considering he’d already knocked-out one guard, the others probably wouldn’t be so friendly anymore.
Margo watched as Colin searched the security guards person, he removed a small handgun from a holster under the man’s arm, and shook him awake.
“I don’t have any interest in calling any more attention to myself than I have to,” Colin said to the woman, as he pulled the groggy man to his feet.
“Right, of course, why would you?” Dakota said strangely. Margo thought maybe she was up to something that didn’t quite line up with what she said though.
“You awake?” Colin said to the man as he waved the gun in his face. “See this?”
The man just nodded.
“It’s going to be…” Colin began as he shoved the gun into his coat pocket, and pointed it at the man, “Right about here. Get it?”
The man nodded again, as Colin took position behind him.
“Do I need to explain what happens if you do anything to hinder our leaving of this building?”Colin said as he dug the point of the gun deep into the man’s back.
The guard shook his head, as he led the way out of the tiny waiting room and into the hall.
