NOVEL WEB Chapter 77: Doomed
"Could they have arranged to meet?"
Seeing Tom West pull open the side door to enter, Matthew quietly moved closer, first observing from the wooden door, then listening in. Hearing nothing, he cautiously grabbed the handle and slowly opened the door.
This part of the warehouse stored some costumes and props for the crew. Filming hadn't started yet, and the door was usually locked. Other than the day they came to collect training outfits, Matthew hadn't seen anyone entering this warehouse.
Kate Jeffery and Tom West had been whispering to each other during training for the past couple of days, making Matthew uneasy. He couldn't help but feel they were up to something, possibly discussing a sinister plan now that they entered the deserted warehouse one after the other.
Considering his own assumptions, he thought it very likely.
These two, Tom West, the training officer, and Kate Jeffery, the assistant producer with a father who was a former BBC executive, held higher positions in the crew compared to a character actor like him.
If they made the first move, Matthew felt he could easily be forced out.
So, he slipped into the warehouse to see what Kate Jeffery and Tom West were actually up to.
Behind the side door was a long corridor flanked by segmented storage rooms, each with double doors held shut by large metal bolts due to the old equipment and the external doors being locked.
As soon as he entered, Matthew hid behind the nearest door, using the indented corridor walls to conceal his body, straining his ears to catch any sound. Other than a faint humming from a dehumidifier, it was silent.
After observing for a while, he quietly moved forward, looking around. Like the rest of Hartfield Airport, there were no surveillance cameras here.
After a moment's inspection, Matthew relaxed a bit but still hadn't located Kate Jeffery and Tom West. The warehouse was simply too large.
Walking further, he encountered a cross passage, scratching his head, unsure whether to continue straight or turn.
Just as he hesitated at the crossroad, a sharp female voice came from down the passage.
"Tom!" She seemed to be calling someone. "I'm here!"
Matthew couldn't mistake that voice; it was Kate Jeffery.
"I'm coming..." The man's voice was unmistakably Tom West, sounding eager. "I've been going crazy these past few days."
Kate's voice again, "I know, that's why I chose a special place."
"Nobody will be here, right?"
"The warehouse is only checked every three days; no one will come."
Then, the sound of a door closing followed, and their voices disappeared.
Matthew leaned against the corridor wall, peering down the passage, which was empty. He turned into the cross passage and continued forward, treading lightly.
Soon, he could hear Kate Jeffery and Tom West again.
"How does it feel on the gun cabinet..."
"Fantastic..."
Then, some indescribable sounds came from behind a door. Matthew wasn't naive; he instantly understood what Kate Jeffery and Tom West were doing.
He scratched his head, "So these two hooked up."
Eavesdropping wasn't of much interest to Matthew, and he was about to leave when a phrase from behind the door made him stop.
"Tom..."
The speaker was clearly Kate Jeffery. "When will you take care of that Matthew Horner?"
Matthew's temper flared, but he suppressed it. Things were as he suspected; Kate Jeffery, like him, wasn't going to let it go so easily.
"This can't be rushed. With so many people at the training ground, I can't target him without reason. We need to catch him making a mistake, but these past few days, he hasn't slipped up at all."
"You need to hurry! Just seeing that bastard makes me angry!"
Matthew felt the same about Kate Jeffery, fuming whenever he saw her.
"Keep your cool, we can't rush this!" Tom West seemed more level-headed. "Matthew Horner was handpicked by Tom Hanks. If we target him without cause, we could end up in big trouble."
Although Kate was brash and domineering, the mention of Tom Hanks' name instantly silenced her. Even her father wouldn't dare offend someone of Hanks' stature lightly.
"Are we just going to let this go?" Matthew heard the reluctance in Kate Jeffery's voice.
"We have a long way to go with the training. Don't worry; there will be opportunities..."
Tom West's voice faded, followed by more indescribable sounds. Matthew listened for a while longer, but hearing nothing more of value, he took the opportunity to leave the warehouse while the two were still preoccupied.
Exiting the side door and restoring it to its original state, he returned to the dining hall.
"You're back so soon?" Michael Coulthard noticed Matthew's early return, curiously asking, "That's fifteen minutes earlier than usual."
Matthew
shrugged, "No choice, my girlfriend is busy at work."
Although he hadn't actually called her, he had spoken to Brittany a few times in recent days. However, she was busy preparing for next year's world tour and their conversations totaled only about ten minutes.
Michael Coulthard, despite his age, was very curious. "What does she do?"
"She's a singer," Matthew replied casually, "She's got a lot of gigs lately."
Michael assumed Matthew meant that she was a lounge singer or similar. "Busy's good. It means money."
Matthew didn't bother to correct him, simply nodding, "Yeah, her income is decent, better than mine." He checked his phone for the time. "Let's rest for a bit; we have the weighted cross-country this afternoon."
Michael said no more, and Matthew leaned back in his chair, appearing to rest but actually pondering the conversation between Kate Jeffery and Tom West.
Undoubtedly, their collusion was a significant disadvantage for him.
Not to mention Tom West alone, a military training officer, still had a month of training to go, and Matthew couldn't guarantee he wouldn't slip up, giving West a chance to catch him.
Constant vigilance was exhausting, especially when those you had to guard against had some power within the crew.
This couldn't continue; he might end up in their trap any day now, especially since Kate Jeffery's words suggested they planned to remove him from the "Band of Brothers" crew.
Ronald Speirs was a role he had worked hard for, and he couldn't just give it up.
What to do? Matthew crossed his arms, deep in thought.
In fact, he had caught a little secret of Kate Jeffery and Tom West— their rendezvous in the crew's warehouse, misbehaving...
But in Hollywood, such things hardly mattered. In this relatively open industry, actors or crew members getting together in makeup trailers or other secluded spots was common, at most leading to gossip and not severe consequences.
Tom West was one thing, but remembering Kate Jeffery's words from that day, he felt infuriated; even his time working on construction sites hadn't prepared him for such unreasonable behavior.
His restraint then didn't mean he would let this slide.
After a moment, Matthew thought perhaps he could leverage the relationship between Kate Jeffery and Tom West somehow.
The afternoon training soon began. The three-mile weighted run was exhausting. Carrying thirty pounds made a big difference, and even someone as physically fit as Matthew was gasping for breath by the end.
For some reason, Tom West was particularly strict that afternoon. With most people's performances falling short, he ordered everyone to do an additional thirty push-ups after a five-minute break.
In the following days, the training intensified. Tom West even had the actors practice crawling forward on the cold, muddy ground, continuing despite the rain. Matthew found it tough, and the other actors complained even more.
In some ways, this British officer was a model of dedication, but actors were not soldiers. Many came from good backgrounds, and after several days of harsh training, complaints about Tom West grew.
"He's literally a demon drill sergeant!" someone complained in the changing room. "We're actors, not soldiers!"
After so many days together, the twenty-five actors had become quite familiar with each other. Immediately, someone agreed, "Three miles with weight, plus thirty push-ups—he's doing this on purpose!"
Michael Coulthard joined the chorus of complaints. "This afternoon, I almost didn't make it back."
This comment initially sparked laughter, then sighs of resignation.
"Ah..." Matthew shook his head. "If only we could get a gentler instructor."
"You seem to be handling the training pretty easily," Michael Fassbender chimed in from beside him. "You're the most relaxed of us all."
Matthew peeled off his sweat-soaked cotton shirt. "I wish it were easier!"
Others nodded in agreement; the training intensity was indeed too much for actors.
The changing room door was pushed open from the outside, and a British actor entered. "Don't dream too much; I just heard some bad news."
"What bad news?" Michael Fassbender asked loudly. "James McAvoy, spill it."
The actor named James McAvoy sat down at his locker and announced, "My training suit ripped, and I went to ask the assistant producer for a replacement. Passing by Gary Gozman's office, I overheard that bastard Tom West suggesting something to Gary... We're all doomed!"
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