Summoned to Tourney by Mercedes Lackey; Ellen Guon Page B

“Why did you do that?”
    “It felt a little chilly in here, don’t you agree? Don’t worry, there’s plenty of air circulation in the building.” He glanced back down at his computer screen, wrote several more words.
    “So, is there anything you’re afraid of?” he asked again.
    “Damn, it’s getting stuffy in here,” she muttered, glancing at the fan again. The room seemed smaller, the air already heavier, harder to breathe Nothing. Nothing scares me. Especially not an asshole like you. Do you really think you’re going to get anything out of me?”
    He smiled.
    “I think we’re finished here, boys. We’ll need to go to level 4-A next…call ahead to clear the hallways, I’d rather not run into another misguided Berkeley intern who doesn’t understand the situation.”
    “But that’s the Aerodynamics level, sir.” One of the young thugs had a puzzled expression on his face.
    So did Beth, she was sure. Government… Berkeley intern… aerodynamics… it felt like we were driving for no more than an hour and a half… am I in the Dublin Laboratories? She shuddered involuntarily at the thought of hundreds or thousands of nuclear weapons, possibly only hundreds of feet away from her.
    Armageddon at my fingertips. But that’s not all they do at the Dublin Labs. Other kinds of research, too. So why am I here? And why in the hell did these idiots kidnap me?
    She stood up slowly, wondering whether she should try to make a run for it, maybe risking getting a bullet in the back. Or maybe she should just wait and see what happened next… they need me for something, hell if I know what. That’s what this whole song-and-dance is about. So maybe I wait and see what they want, and then use that against them?
    It seemed like a good idea, as they walked through the empty corridors and down several flights of stairs. Until she saw their destination, the huge metal sphere crouched in a corner of a lab, covered with dials and pressure gauges.
    “You’re not—” she said whitely, and turned to run. Blondie caught her and she screamed, kicking him hard. He cursed and dropped her, staggering back into a table covered with glass beakers and notebooks. The other thug grabbed her before she could bolt for the door, and shoved her through the narrow metal opening. The tiny chamber reverberated as he slammed the door, spinning the bolts shut tightly. Beth screamed and pounded on the glass window until her hands ached.
    All light vanished suddenly as the room outside went dark. Beth slid down the cold metal wall, huddling on the floor of the chamber.
    This is insane, they can’t do this to me, they can’t— A low rumble and hiss of machinery began, and she could feel the air pressure increasing. She swallowed, feeling her ears pop suddenly, and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself.
    This can’t be happening to me. What kind of lunatic locks someone in a decompression chamber? Especially someone who’s… claustrophobic… like me…
    Stay calm, stay calm. Don’t let this get to you. They’re doing this deliberately, you can’t let them win…
    She pressed her fists against her face to stop her hands from shaking. She could feel the screams building against her tightly-closed lips. The darkness seemed to close in around her, thickening, too heavy to breathe. An invisible hand tightened around her throat, cutting off her air—
    Hyperventilating. I’m hyperventilating. Have to slow down my breathing. Think, Kentraine, there’s plenty of air in here, you’re not going to suffocate, that’s all just in your mind…
    Breathe. In, out. In, out. Slowly, calmly, you can do it, just concentrate on your breathing…
    Her breath was very loud in the tiny room, gasping for air. She was too hot, it was too hot in here; she ripped open the front of her blouse, just as the room’s temperature seemed to plunge by fifty degrees. She wrapped her arms around her knees, and shivered. Nausea hit her like a wave, and she choked,