17.

What was four has become five. One hospitalized, three in search of answers finding a fifth. Five people have woken with no memory of who they are or how they got to where it is they separately wake, and it is looking ever so likely that there are at least three more to be discovered.

Given what is currently known, it is more than clear that something occurred deliberately, but what exactly is that something? And what is it that connects these people? This is what needs to be discovered.

This new person, Henry sees her flinch in pain, he can see her feet are bare and damaged, they are bruised, cut and bleeding, so the immediate right thing to do is to aid the newcomer. An investigation of the building will have to wait. There may be others inside, there may be others who need help, then again there may be trouble waiting in there too so bring aid first to the present company.

Yeah, leave the building be, for the moment at least. A return, back to this place, can always be made at another time. Best to practice caution as best as possible, take things one at a time and move on, slowly but surely.

In the car as a return to the hotel is being made, Henry drives, Archer sits in the front passenger seat, the newcomer is passed out on the back seat while in a seated position directly behind Henry and Bonnie is doing whatever she can to ensure there is as much distance between herself and the newcomer as possible.

Henry checks his in-car mirror and sees Bonnie's discomfort. She is doing alright so there is no major problem, nothing to immediately panic about. She'll manage for the moment.

'So, what do we call her?' asks Archer.

'No idea, we can always ask if she has a preference when she wakes. We need to make a pit stop at a chemist and get a few items to help clean up out new friend.'

'Who says she is our new friend? For all we know it is possible we have all known each other for months, years even as it is also possible that she is not friendly. No matter how unlikely it may be, but she could be responsible for what happened to us.'

'Yeah, any of this is possible, same can be said for us all. In our current circumstance everything is new, and like we are doing already, we just have to keep on going as best we can. Hey, how about while myself and Bonnie ... well myself anyway, while I fix up our new friend when we settle her into the hotel, how about you take the car and pay a visit to Sander? See if anything new over there has ... risen. When you return from that then maybe we could try again back at that ... building you woke in.'

'Alright, sounds good to me.'

'Do you know how to drive, Archer?'

Archer shrugs as if he has no idea as to if he can drive or not and this occurs at the very moment they reach a chemist. Henry takes some cash from his inside jacket pocket and asks Archer if he would mind going in and getting the supplies they need and also suggests to Archer that he might make an attempt at driving back to the hotel when he returns. Archer agrees and as he does, he also tries to hide his thoughts on as to how Henry always seems to have money.

Yeah, this is only their second day together in their current condition but while Archer and Bonnie appear to be penniless, Henry has money to supply food, clothing, and now medical supplies too. Archer will say nothing about that for the moment though this may only be a temporary quiet.

In the chemist store as he chooses disinfectant, bandages, plasters and so on, Archer feels the need to have himself somewhat of a release as he sings to himself there may be trouble ahead, he may or may not be a future cause of trouble, but he will play it easy for the moment at least. Others may be in the same boat he is, something other than his own affliction just doesn't sit right with him.

There is a lot still to be learned hopefully, being a part of a group might be better than being alone, and yeah Henry does seem to have money. If Archer fancies continuing to have himself fed along with the others, then he'll play his cards right for the moment and see how things move forwards from here.

Siobhan, a receptionist at the Mulberry Hotel, has really gotten on board with whatever it is that is occurring with this fellow she had spoken with the day before for when she sees him arrive into the hotel carrying a lady in his arms, a lady who is not the lady he had accompanied on that prior occasion, she attempts to cover for him, distracting other members of hotel staff from inquiring or interfering with such an entry into the hotel. Henry sees this and is most definitely appreciative of it. Any and all help is most welcome.

Maybe Henry could bring Siobhan into the group or at least fill her in on some of the details of what is happening though if he is to do that then it will, like other things, have to wait for right now it is straight for the elevator for Henry and his associates, and no delay is made in getting to the one and only hotel room they currently have between them.

In this room there are two beds, a double and a single. Bonnie had first come to wake within the double though has taken a preference for the single which for the night before this day had worked well as Henry and Archer shared the double bed but now, they rest the newcomer onto the double and Henry attends to her wounds. Doing this comes naturally, considering as to why this might be so could possibly only create aggravation, so maybe getting on with things is in a way best for business.

Bonnie resumes her regular stance she has when she is here in the hotel room and this stance is one of standing by and staring out of the window. The drive back to the hotel proved that Archer indeed could drive so he gets on with what had been pre-arranged, and he takes the car to go pay Sander a visit so Sander can be kept in the loop and the chance can come to share anything new that Sander may have to offer.

Archer's mind is running big time from the moment he leaves the hotel until the moment he arrives at Sander's side. Can he trust these people? Is he better off sticking with them and playing along or would he be better off sticking to just himself. The knowledge that Henry has money gets the better of him two-fold, one being the fact that Henry does have money and two being the fact that Henry is holding something back and this does make it all the more difficult to trust him.

What choices does Archer really have? For now, at least he will play it safe. When Archer does arrive at Sander's side Sander can see how deep in thought Archer seems to be and this is worrying. It is as if there is bad news on the way. Initially, Sander doesn't question how Archer looks, if this Archer fellow has something to say then he surely will say it in his own time, then again perhaps he won't. As it is, however, Sander himself does have some news, something with which he has acquired, and with which should be shared with his visitors.