SSV: Project STATIC Part 3: Game Over

Chapter 7

Jake opened his eyes and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was on his face laying on the ground, but he didn't have any idea where he was. His body felt like it had been run over by a mack truck after going ten rounds with every villain in Metropolis. He reached up to try to pull whatever headgear Ingrid had used off, but to his surprise nothing was there. More confusing was that his cowl was also missing. He frowned as he looked down and noticed his suit and equipment were all missing. In its place was a dirty pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. What the hell was going on? Unarmed and uncertain, Jake picked himself up and rolled his neck. One thing at a time, he needed to find Pam and figure out where they were.

Ingrid had mentioned a game, but had she actually managed to transport them into one? Was that even possible? He'd looked into advanced virtual reality before, but the risks often outweighed the marginal rewards. The simulations he'd run always carried a risk of a player getting trapped, experiencing trauma, or even flatlining entirely due to the exposure from the systems. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this was something Ingrid would undoubtedly be interested in experimenting with. She was different from even the last time he'd seen and spoken with her. He could see it in her face, hear it in her voice, she was close to unhinged. Whatever had happened since the last time they'd talked had left some sort of imprint on her that warped the girl he'd known.

Looking around, Jake found himself in an alleyway of sorts. Chain length fences and large brick walls lined the alleyway alongside tons of debris and trash. There was a stench in the air, one that Jake recognized from years working against criminals. The smell of decay, rot, and gunpowder clung to the air, and Jake looked around to see bodies buried beneath the trash and bags. There was a heaviness in the air that reminded him of smoke and smog from the more industrial side of Metropolis. Where was he? The graffiti on the walls didn't look like any of the typical taggings of any local gangs in the city.

He caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye, and Jake readied himself for a potential fight. While he may not have had his weapons, Jake was confident he could handle himself in a fight if it came to it. He widened his stance before relaxing as a familiar blonde head popped out of a pile of trash. Pam pulled herself out of the filth and recess with a huff of irritation as she climbed back to her feet, "Ugh, I am going to obliterate that annoying little girl!"

"Pam," Jake smiled, glad to see a familiar face.

Pam whipped around as she dusted herself off as best she could. Jake noticed that her clothes had also changed. Her usual dark leather pants and corset were gone, and in their place was a black tank top and a pair of dark wash jeans. Her hair was also down rather than tied up how it had previously been. "Jake?" she sighed, looking around and looking him up and down, "Hmm, I thought that little where would have tried to separate us. Either she's dumber than I thought, or she's more confident in her idiotic little construct."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, checking their surroundings for anything he could make use of as a weapon.

"Don't tell me you haven't already figured it out, Jake," Pam replied, "Ingrid said we were going to be playing a game, remember? The headgear she had us put on, her bitchy threats, all of that was indicative of her transporting us to a realm of her own design. Can you hear me, you prattling bitch?! I'm going to get out of this, and I'm going to rip you to shreds when I do!"

Jake sighed as he watched Pam wall past and shout up at the sky. Clearly his friend was still quite perturbed about everything that had happened. Truthfully, he couldn't say he blamed her after watching Ingrid with Beth. Something still didn't add up, but he couldn't put his finger on it just yet. "Ash, any idea what our first move should be?" Jake asked, watching Pam continue to stomp around the alleyway, "Ash?"

The lack of response was concerning, but maybe something had happened in the transfer process. It was another piece to a puzzle that the three of them had fallen into, but it was one he'd have to file away for later. The more Pam carried on shouting, the more concerned he became that she'd bring trouble their way. "Pam, maybe you want to lower your voice?" he offered, "You know, at least until we can figure out where we are and what we're supposed to do."

"Hey, who's screaming on our fucking turf?!" a male voice called out from behind a corner, "Who you callin a bitch, bitch?"

"Fucking great," Jake sighed as he turned to see a small gang of thugs stalking towards the two of them.

Pam glared at the six individuals who walked around the corner carrying pistols and bats. The six of them wore matching black pants and vibrant colored shirts. Their hair was styled in wild shapes, and Pam swore she'd seen this sort of style in one of Beth's games before. Not in the mood for any attitude from fictional characters, Pam tried to launch a spell at the group to silence them. To her surprise and irritation, she found nothing happened when she tried to lob a fireball at them. Her eyes widened as she tried once again, but once more nothing happened. She frowned as she took a step back and looked around. Evidently this was going to be more problematic than she'd originally considered.

"Jake, there's a small problem," she sighed, "I can't use my magic here."

"You're kidding," Jake groaned, still not having found a weapon, "Shit, then we need to move. I'm guessing these people aren't the talking type."

"Whatever would give you that idea?" Pam scoffed, "Come on, and look for a weapon on the way."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Jake nodded as he and Pam took off down the alleyway as the gang started to open fire.

"Where ya going?!" a woman shouted, "Can't just go talking all that good shit and run off! Get back here!"

Jake and Pam rounded a corner in hopes of finding their way into the city streets, but they came to a dead-end. A pair of large green doors stood at the end of the building, and Jake was quick to hurry over and kick them open. They didn't know what was waiting for them, but they knew they had to move or risk getting shot. Knowing what little they did about Ingrid, it seemed a safe bet that death in the game would mean a similar fate in reality. The pair rushed through an open corridor and came into a large room with stacks of crates and barrels sitting around. Pam grabbed Jake's shoulder and pulled him over a large crate as a barrage of bullets whizzed by their heads.

Pam spotted a pistol on the floor, and she gestured to Jake, "Gun, grab it and return fire."

"What?" Jake asked, looking down at the revolver on the ground, "You're joking, right?"

"Why the hell would I joke about that?!" Pam exclaimed, "Lay down some suppressing fire so I can try to flank them. Don't make this difficult, Jake."

"I've never shot a gun!" Jake argued.

"You can't be serious," Pam deadpanned, "All that time spent fighting criminals, and you've never picked up a gun?"

"I'm a close quarters and nonlethal fighter!" Jake defended himself, "I'd like to see you-"

Pam growled as she snatched the gun and stood up to return fire. To Jake's bewilderment, Pam managed to plug four of the six thugs that had been chasing them without missing a single shot. She ducked down and looked around for more ammo before emptying the cylinder and glaring at him, "Going to make a joke about me being a mage, or is it about me being a girl?"

"I-what?!" Jake shouted in shock, "When the hell did you learn to shoot?"

"I'm dating a gun-nut, Jake," Pam replied as though it were obvious, "One of our first official dates was a shooting range. If you're not going to help, then get down and keep quiet."

Jake heard another set of doors open in the back behind them, and he nodded at Pam, "We've got more incoming. I might not be able to shoot, but I can still handle myself if I get close. Spread out, and try to keep me from getting shot."

"I can only do so much," Pam sighed, "I'll need another gun at this rate, and we're going to teach you to shoot before this is over."

"Really don't think we have time for that, Pam," Jake argued as he tried to find the best way to ambush the incoming attackers.

"We don't have time for you to die either, Jake," Pam countered, her irritation reminding him of an older sibling despite her being younger than him, "Just get moving, and keep yourself hidden until you can strike."

Their plan set, Jake and Pam broke off in tandem as best they could. Pam fired a couple of blind shots into the crowd to scatter them, and Jake kept himself in a crouch as he dashed towards a stack of crates for cover. Pam waited until he was behind cover before making her move into the open. It was risky, but she was quicker on her feet than most people gave her credit for. She rushed off to the opposite side and prayed that her ammunition would last until they'd finished this insane group of thugs. Something flashing caught her eye as she took two more shots and downed another new arrival carrying an automatic rifle. Something square was floating above the ground, and it looked like it was spinning. Curious, Pam reached out as she passed it and felt a slight bit of weight on her hip. She glanced down as she slid into cover to see an ammo pouch appear on her hip.

Jake waited and watched as Pam found a new position before he made his next move. The minute she rose up and opened fire, Jake was on the move again. There were five more thugs that had tried to sneak around along with the remaining two from earlier. Their attention seemed to be divided between the two of them, but their programming was smart enough to recognize two threats. Three of them stayed low as they tried to spread out and find Jake, while the other four kept their focus on trying to gun down Pam. Jake kept a close watch out of the corner of his eye as he stuck close to the shadows. Pam might have been a better shot, but stealth was still his primary advantage. If this was a game, then that had to be something he could work with.

Jake ducked down behind a stack of barrels as he waited for his opponents to get closer. They were still moderately spread out, but they were close enough that he could possibly dispatch them if he was quick. The one closest to him was carrying a bat, and Jake waited until he was close before kicking the barrels as hard as he could. The stack of steel went rolling and clattering along the ground, and Jake jumped out to punch the thug as hard as he could. He grabbed hold of the bat, and pulled the surprisingly strong man forward in an attempt to wrestle the weapon from his hand. He could hear the slides of the guns nearby, and Jake quickly adjusted himself and pivoted to use his enemy as a human shield. Thankfully, the bullets didn't penetrate through his body, and Jake was able to easily grab a weapon and resume his speedy assault.

Jake ducked and bobbed as the two remaining thugs continued shooting. He rose up with the pommel of the bat aimed at the arm of one of them, and a sickening crack rang out as he broke the arm with a single strike. He spun around and slammed the blunt weapon into the back of the thug before turning his attention to the last remaining thug in his way. He could hear Pam returning fire against the others while he worked. They'd be through with this group soon enough, and then maybe they could figure out more about where they were. Before Jake could make another move, a stray bullet caught one of the barrels behind him. A sudden explosion sent him flying forward and crashing into the thug in question. His back ached and burned from the fires. Not to be deterred, Jake summoned his strength and slammed the bat against his enemy's head.

Jake was aching and sore as he tried to get back to his feet. He looked down at the SMG that had fallen out of the hands of the thug in question. He'd never fired a gun, he'd never even held one properly outside of evidence, but he knew he'd need a moment to rest before going back on the offensive. Jake muttered a silent prayer that he wouldn't blow his own finger off as he reached down and grabbed the gun. He'd seen Beth fire these countless times, so surely he could manage well enough. He took aim, careful to keep the barrel pointed away from Pam, and opened fire. The deafening roar of the machine gun was surprising, but the recoil was what threw him for a loop. Instantly, his arm was pushed back and his aim was rendered useless by his lack of preparedness. The bullets went up and cut through some hanging light fixtures that fell down onto one of the thugs.

"Goddammit, don't shoot that unless you know what you're doing!" Pam's voice chided from across the room, "Start with a small firearm, not an automatic, Jake!"

"Working with what I've got here, Pam!" Jake shouted back as he ducked down and tried to examine the weapon.

There were only three left, and from what Jake had seen they were focusing on Pam. Jake crawled over to rest his back against a large steel crate and look over his new gun. He knew Pam was speaking more out of stress and irritation, but she had a point. He was a smart guy, and surely he could figure out how to operate this gun without endangering his friend. A switch on the side of the gun caught his attention, and he glanced down at it to see what it might do. He knew it wasn't a safety, that much he was confident in, and he saw a couple of notches carved around the switch. Three lines and a dial facing it, and one line with the dial turned the other way. It was worth a shot, literally in this case, and Jake flipped the switch over. He just hoped that his hunch was correct and that this would swap the firing mode.

Pam was finishing the last of the gang that had tried to ambush them. So far, they'd been more annoying than a serious challenge. Her time training with Beth was proving invaluable, although she was serious about working with Jake while they were stuck here. He'd nearly shot her by accident earlier. She popped her head up as she finished reloading and brought another one down. Pam jerked her body to the side just as another storm of bullets whizzed past her and returned fire. That was two down, and that meant there was only one left. Pam whipped around to finish them off, but surprisingly she turned just in time to see the last thug fall. A bullet had hit him in the back, and Pam looked back to see Jake holding the gun he'd nearly shot her with. Pam waited a moment before sighing and putting her pistol away.

Jake stood up and stretched as the action finally came to a close. It had only been a short while, but the fight felt like it had lasted an eternity. "Feel like calling down anymore baddies, Pam?" Jake asked as he watched their surroundings.

"Shut up," Pam grumbled as she walked over to him, "I don't need you giving me attitude, Jake. I messed up, but at least I didn't almost shoot you."

"I was trying to help with the situation you created," Jake countered before taking a deep breath, "Alright, look, I get you're on edge after what's happened, but us being at each other's throats isn't going to solve anything."

Pam closed her eyes for a moment before nodding and sighing, "You're right, you're right. It's not your fault we're stuck here, and I shouldn't be taking my anger out on you."

"Alright, so we're agreed that we work together, not against each other," Jake smiled at her, "We can beat this, whatever it is, and we can still save Beth. Of course, we still need to try to have a look around and figure out exactly what we're dealing with first."

"Agreed, let's see what we can scavenge for equipment and weapons," Pam nodded, checking the bodies of the thugs near her, "Look for any ammunition, armored clothing, medicine, or anything else that we might be able to use. Once we've checked their bodies, we can survey the building before we move outward. I meant what I said too, Jake. We need to find a place where I can show you how to shoot a gun."

"I'm not sure that's something we should prioritize, Pam," Jake sighed, following her lead and checking bodies, "I don't know how much time we have, and I thought you'd agree that we need to stay focused."

"Winning means surviving, which means you not shooting me by accident," Pam pointed out as she found a stash of clips in a pocket of one of the thugs, "Your gadgets and tech aren't with us, and it's better for both of us if you can handle yourself in a ranged fight."

While it wasn't something Jake was entirely comfortable with, he couldn't deny Pam's point. It wouldn't hurt to learn a new skill, and they'd need all the advantages they could get if they were going to succeed. This wasn't their world anymore, it was Ingrid's. They searched in silence for the rest of their time in the building. It wasn't until they'd finished picking the bodies of their fallen enemies clean and checked whatever crates would open that they spoke again. A few different pistols, some revolvers, a couple of semi automatics, a rifle, a second bat to replace the one Jake had lost, and a few knives were the weapons they'd managed to find. Some of the clothes were heavier and appeared to have some added defense and padding, but nothing substantial enough to warrant them taking any of them. They'd also found a few different devices that Jake wanted to study before using, but his guess was that they were meant to be used as healing items. Outside of that, they'd found a few different pouches on belts that they could use to store different things.

The building itself didn't offer much in the way of resources for either of them. The majority of the crates were locked, and the barrels appeared more decorative or destructive when they looked at them. They stopped to look over their supplies laid out atop one of the crates and plan their next move, "Okay, we've got a decent starting kit here," Pam noted as she looked everything over, "Grab one of the pistols, Jake, and take a few of these clips for good measure. A silencer would be ideal, but maybe we can find one of those later."

"I'll take a few knives and the bat too," Jake nodded, grabbing the pistol Pam had pointed at, "We can split these little inhalers, and maybe we can find someone who knows a bit about this stuff to point us in the right direction."

Pam nodded as she started grabbing and stashing whatever she could, "That sounds like as good a plan as any for the time being. Any word from Ashley and her thoughts on this?"

"I can't feel her," Jake admitted, "It's got me a little worried, but it could be something with the software here creating interference."

"It's possible, but you two share a mind," Pam said, "She could be locked away, but perhaps we can uncover that with time. She was able to manifest while we fought Courtney. Before I forget, I ran through something that gave me a significant amount of ammo while we were fighting earlier. It's gone now, but it's worth keeping an eye out for things that seem slightly out of place here. As infuriating as this little girl may be, she's put things in place to allow us a chance."

"That's not surprising," Jake shook his head, "Ingrid was, is, a gamer at heart. She's probably built this to be difficult, but I'm betting she's also planned on testing it herself at some point. We just have to learn her system if we're going to beat it."

"Let's hope that we can figure it out sooner than later," Pam remarked as she checked her equipment and finished stowing the last of her items, "Ready to see what's waiting for us outside those doors, Jake?"

"As ready as I can be," Jake sighed, following Pam's lead, "My hope is that there's some sort of direction for us to take to figure out what we'll need to do to advance."

"Let's see what type of game we're playing first, and then we can access our options from there," Pam offered, stepping towards the doors and motioning for Jake to follow her.

They stepped through the open floor of the building and pushed the double doors to the street open. The first thing that caught their attention was the sound of horns and shouting as they walked onto the sidewalk. Lots of traffic and people kept the streets busy, and bright flashing neon signs adorned the buildings. Various advertisements for odd products flashed along billboards, benches, and other places. There were no flying cars, but they could see a few flying vehicles with jets on the bottom zooming in the distance. The air was wet and dreary, the sky was overcast, and the smell of smog was thick outside. They'd been transported to some sort of futuristic city, and by the sounds of the shouting and arguing, the locals didn't seem entirely friendly.

"Well, this is different," Jake said, looking around.

"Indeed," Pam nodded, making notes of everything she could see, "Why don't we start by finding a place to drink?"

"You want to hit a bar?" Jake asked, shooting her a confused look.

"It seems a logical place to get some information and it'll allow us a chance to get our bearings," Pam replied, "We can keep an eye out for shops, see what the locals offer, and maybe get some insight into just how large of an area we're working with here."

"I don't exactly have an argument against it," Jake admitted, scratching the back of his head, "Standing around isn't going to get us anywhere either, so let's see what we can find."

Pam smirked and nodded as she decided to turn left and head down the streets. The smell of processed food was strong as they passed by a local market, and they caught sight of some police vehicle flying by. Wherever they'd ended up, it was clear they were better off keeping to themselves on the streets. There was no sense in endangering themselves before they could handle a fight without issue. Jake followed closely behind Pam as they walked, and they headed deeper into the bowels of the virtual city.

—--------------

Ingrid slid her chair away from her monitor and sighed. Apparently, she'd underestimated the blonde bimbo and her capabilities with a firearm. The Gothic poser hadn't seemed like the gaming type, but she'd made short work of hee first encounter. Hell, she'd even managed to save Jake, and Ingrid had thought he'd be the issue. It didn't matter, not in the long run. Anyone could survive the first level of a game, and it was more than likely dumb luck that had carried them through. They'd fall victim to the city before too long, and even if they survived, the challenges only got more difficult as the story progressed. They'd find out soon enough, but even if they survived, she could always ramp up the difficulty. Ingrid had more than one trick up her sleeve to deal with these two unexpected pains.

The beep from her centrifuge was as good a sign as any for her to step away. Let the idiots continue to roam and wander, she'd deal with them soon enough. They weren't going anywhere, and she had more pressing things to focus on. She needed to review the results from her blood test, and then there was the abnormality with Jake's vitals. For some reason, her system was picking up a second wavelength on his brain scans. One heartbeat, but it was like there was another layer to his mental activity that she couldn't explain. That was something that didn't make any sense, but something she'd be watching closely. It could have been a simple glitch, but she'd rather be safe than sorry.

Ingrid stood up and walked over to the machine as it printed out its results. She grabbed the paper and looked it over with morbid curiosity. She wasn't an expert in medical terminology, but she knew what her levels were supposed to be. There wasn't anything astronomically off, but one column did catch her attention and give her pause. It didn't have a name, but rather was listed as an error on the report. The machine hadn't been able to decipher whatever it was. Her guess was that it was the nanites, but all this did was leave her with more questions than answers. The little bots were swimming in her body, but she wasn't any closer to figuring out what was causing her mood swings. It didn't sit right with her, and she doubted Anna would be willing to provide much insight. The doctor was cryptic and unnerving on a good day, and her vagueness hadn't been lost at Ingrid's first meeting with her.

Maybe she'd have felt better if Jake and Pam had been finished in that first encounter. She'd need to tweak the difficulty if their luck continued to hold as it currently was. Loathe as she was to admit it, that blonde bitch was more formidable than she had first guessed. At least she still had Beth. She'd be paying her new girlfriend a visit soon enough, and that would surely lift her spirits. As long as Beth didn't try to fight her, she could enjoy that little victory. It hurt more than anything that Beth was deliberately choosing to remain loyal to that poser, but she'd come around eventually. Perhaps she needed to try to ease her into things for a change. Something to eat, a game, and then maybe a bit of fun for the two of them. As much as a part of her simply wanted to ride that sweet face, she didn't want to risk scarring Beth too badly so soon.

She'd check in with her pet shortly, but first she wanted another look at Jake's scans. Ingrid climbed down the ladder to the main floor of her virtual reality center. She walked over to Jake's body and pulled his vitals back up. A single flashing line was supposed to represent his consciousness, but a second one beeped behind it again. They moved almost as one, and she'd nearly missed it the first time she'd been watching. She opened another menu to review it in full diagnostics, but she couldn't find any issues with her software. Had Jake somehow managed to alter his own mind before coming here?

"What are you playing at, Blackridge?" Ingrid muttered to herself as she typed away on the keypad, "There's only one of you, and I doubt that you'd make this big of a wrinkle in my work. Stubborn little douche…"

Ingrid kept swiping and searching for nearly fifteen minutes, but she couldn't find anything indicating it was a system issue. As impossible as it sounded, Jake was causing this on his own. Somehow, some way, Jake had managed to create an unexplainable glitch in her nearly perfect system. That alone was enough to infuriate her, but she tried to stuff it down. Anger wasn't going to solve anything here, and she needed to remember her plan. Subdue, study, and subjugate these two, and keep Beth as her prize for a job well done. With that in mind, Ingrid pulled the recordings from their last fight to upload them to the drive Eva had given her. The creepy billionaire wanted footage, then she could have it. It was already stored in her cloud systems anyway, and Ingrid could always go back and review it later.

Once she was finished, Ingrid took a moment to collect herself. She glanced at the clock to see it was getting late. The idiots would be safe and trapped in her game for a good long while, and she was admittedly feeling more drained than she had originally realized. The stress of dealing with Pam, threatening Beth, and worrying about herself was starting to take a toll on her. Her games could wait, but she still wanted to eat and maybe grab a shower. That's when a thought occurred to her that brought a wide smile to her face. Beth may have been apprehensive, but getting closer to her curves sounded like an excellent idea. She hadn't had any of her toys wash her yet either, so this would be a fun first for Ingrid.

Ingrid smiled to herself as she walked out of the control room and switched the lights off. She wandered back to the bedroom she'd taken for herself to find Beth sitting on the bed where she'd left her. "Hey, honey, I'm back," Ingrid greeted her girlfriend, "Did you miss me?"

"I need to pee," Beth replied, her tone more desperate than malicious, "Please, please tell me I can go to the bathroom before I piss myself."

Ingrid's eyes widened and she quickly nodded, "Right, sorry, go ahead, hon. Go relieve yourself."

"Thank you," Beth sighed, hurrying to get to her feet and running to the bathroom.

It was the small things that Ingrid continued to overlook with her new powers. She'd told Beth not to get up, but she hadn't considered her bladder. The control was incredible, but she had to remember to be specific in her commands. Ingrid made another mental note to try to keep that in mind going forward. She took a seat on the bed and debated on what to eat. Her goal wasn't to torture or starve Beth, and she hoped that she'd be able to coax her into relaxing just a bit. The sound of the sink running reached her, and Ingrid crossed her legs as she waited for Beth to finish.

Ingrid looked up as Beth walked back into the room and watched her feet, "Are you hungry, Beth?"

Beth's stomach rumbled before she could lie, and she sighed as she blushed, "Maybe a little bit, yeah."

"Good, me too," Ingrid smiled sweetly at her, "I was thinking that maybe we could get something to eat and talk a bit. Afterwards, I thought you'd like to help me shower before we cuddle up together."

Beth's cheeks turned scarlet at the mention of having to help Ingrid in the shower, "I-I would really rather not, Ingrid. Please, I'm-"

"What am I not good enough for you?" Ingrid asked, her tone more venomous than she intended, "Are you gonna tell me you haven't washed your blonde bitch girlfriend?"

"No, that's not-" Beth started, trying to defuse the situation before it escalated more than necessary, "Ingrid, I've only been with one woman, okay? Can you just try to understand that?"

"I am understanding that, Beth," Ingrid growled, checking herself when she saw Beth flinch, "I mean, I am trying to understand that and take it slow. This is as good a compromise as you're going to get, and I think it's what you need. Give me a smile, Beth, and say you'll be my good girl."

"Please," Beth whimpered, her body already trying to obey despite herself, "Please don't make me…"

"Beth," Ingrid warned, her patience slipping once again.

Beth closed her eyes and let a tear roll down her cheek as she caved despite herself. She nodded and smiled at Ingrid, "I-I'll be your good girl and do what you say, Ingrid."

Ingrid relaxed at that and hopped up, "There, was that so hard?" she asked, "C'mon, let's get you something to eat. This is for the best, Beth, I promise. You'll thank me for this before it's all said and done. Come on, let's go, baby."

Beth sorely doubted that she'd ever thank Ingrid for what she was doing to her. She was happy with Pam, but now she was being forced into another relationship she didn't want. She just hoped that Jake and Pam could hold on and figure out whatever hell they were stuck in soon. Ingrid turned and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and for a second Beth saw a gentleness in her eyes. It was buried beneath her insanity in a fraction of a second, but it was enough proof that some part of Ingrid cared about her. That was all she had to cling to, and she just hoped that her care would outweigh her selfish wants before she could free herself.