Author's Note: Hey guys… I guess I'm a bit new here, so please be nice to me! This is only the prologue, and it opens with a bit of a shocker. The main character is Roach although Soap is quite significant in it too. It's in an alternate timeline to the events of MW2 and has been inspired by Eminem's 'Till I Collapse'. Anyhow, hope you guys like it and you don't slaughter me! =)
WARNING! This story contains graphic depictions of character torture, hints of rape/abuse and slash.
Disclaimer: I own no characters in this story besides Chekov, Alina Kerenskaya, Yuri Kerensky, Radion Kerensky and Dara Park. All characters are otherwise property of Infinity Ward.
Prologue
How long had it been?
Every man has his breaking point. Roach hadn't yet reached his, but he was so, so close. He could withstand most of the pains unintended for man to feel. The point of Task Force 141 was not to feel pain. It was to deliver it in a hailstorm of bullets and fire. 141 was fearless, even in the face of certain death.
But the sensation of being thrown so close to death only to be pulled back was another thing. It wasn't the physical stress of it that took its toll upon the men, but the undue psychological desire to just let go and forget about survival to escape a world of unceasing pain and humiliation. Where Chekov hadn't hurt him physically, he had compensated in Roach's mind. Once wrought with vigorous arrogance and attitude, Roach was now silent, almost unresponsive to life, almost, in a way, subservient. Chekov hadn't broken him, but with every passing minute, Roach felt he could.
So how long had it been? Roach didn't know.
"I'll come back for you, Roach… I promise you… I won't abandon you."
Roach could feel his face flush. He didn't know how much longer he could take. His ankles were fixed with carabineers at shoulder width. His hands were cuffed behind his back, tied to his ankles, a steel spreader held his elbows apart, accompanied by the familiar feel of the bolt digging into his spine. Two jump leads were clipped to them, still sparking from its dying car battery. A bit-gag was clenched tightly between his teeth. His right calf muscle had been cut, but his leg was numb.
"Everything is gonna be alright, Roach… I promise I'll come back… Don't give up on hope… Don't fall…"
Worst of all, he was invert suspended six feet from the ground with little more than his trousers to spare him from the cold. Two German shepherds snapped madly at his head, insane with the smell of the blood that splashed across Roach's sweaty body from his wounds. Chekov had taken full advantage of him. Full… advantage.
But he had to hold out. A part of Roach just wanted to give up there and then, but another part wanted to fight. Ghost would be back. It was that part of him that knew it. Ghost never made a promise he couldn't keep.
"I promise, Roach… Just hold on... Do it for me."