Chapter II
Sara felt that a kind of a turning point came after about a week later, when she got the permission to take a bath. Previously there was no other option than to refrain from scratching pimples forming on her greasy face or from pulling her hair out of itchy scalp or from feeling utterly disgusted with herself and her body, smelling of a mixture of sweat, dirt and antiseptics.
Two tall and thin hollows of a humanoid-like appearance led her to a small, almost microscopic bathroom. Their walk passed in the midst of absolute silence, during which she was afraid even to breathe deeply. The guards left her in a vestibule of some sort, demonstrating her door, which was hidden behind the illusion. It led to a blind room, which again evoked associations with the hospital.
Well, at least here I don't see any syringes, tubes and drips...
Having this dubious consolation in mind, she walked barefoot on the floor made of white, matte tiles to wash her hands at the sink, which was not much wider than both of her palms. She had a look at herself in the mirror – or, actually, in a rectangular piece of glass, hanging on the wall without any frame, shelf or other ornaments. It was not a pleasant sight. She thought that her pasty, sallow complexion with red spots and greasy hair would make more sensitive people puke.
And this was supposed to be the detox? she doubted. Señor Espada must have messed something up. If he was going to remove toxins from my body, then I should look like a miss universe, not like a Frankenstein.
Without deliberating about it too much, she took off her shirt and stopped in the last moment before throwing it away. Except for the towel, there was not a piece of cloth in the bathroom, so it would be a bit reckless to get rid of it. Although the sheer fabric didn't cover much, it allowed her to maintain at least a semblance of decency. Wearing this shirt made the feeling of walking naked around the lab not that striking.
She put the smelly shirt on a hanger and stepped into the shower, which was as simple as the rest of the equipment. There was no cabin or any partitions. The area where a person should stand in order to take a bath was marked with slightly sunken floor. A discreet panel on the wall was used to control the unit.
When the water ran down her body, she felt as if it washed away the humiliation she went through, especially intolerable lack of knowledge about what was actually going on. How far went the war preparations in Hueco Mundo? Was the invasion of hollows a fact or was it merely during the planning phase? She would also give a lot for an opportunity to warn the Soul Society, though the shinigami might have already found out that something is afoot, using their abilities and intelligence. Hopefully, other information trading brokers reacted quickly enough to buy the humans time necessary to set up a proper defense strategy.
During the bath she did not care whether the hidden cameras were also installed in the bathroom and if Szayelaporro was watching her, and how much he was enjoying it. The most important thing was making herself clean and in a way that did not strip her of the rest of her dignity.
Who would have thought that the simplest things can bring so much joy...
Hot water and steam filling the small room made her feel a bit dizzy.
Enough, she ordered herself. I know this is not my last stop. I have to prepare for the next challenges, which certainly are waiting for me.
After leaving the bathroom, she saw an interior completely different from what it was before, as if she exited on to the other side of the magic mirror. Overwhelmed by disbelief, she set one foot on the gray carpet, which she found surprisingly soft.
Sara entered a small bedroom, furnished with a bed, a chest of drawers and an empty desk without any chair to sit on. On the wall on the opposite side of the bed, there was a large closet with sliding doors. And although the corner of her eye caught a glance of another door, the first thing she did was to carefully examine the contents of this area. There was absolutely nothing on and inside the desk (even a millimeter of dust), while the closet contained a dozen or so white uniforms put on matching hangers. The chest was a surprise as Sara discovered the underwear sets, all in the shades of nude. With even greater amazement she found copies of her own underclothing and many replicas in the same size. Because this discovery meant she can stop wearing the dirty rag, she threw it into a corner of the closet with evident satisfaction. She wrapped it in foil, so that the other clothes would not hold onto the unpleasant smell.
White uniform comprised an asymmetrical tunic with three-quarter sleeves, v-neck and extended back, resembling swallow-tails and matching trousers with tapered legs. Side seams of the tunic and the one at the front as well as the hems of sleeves and legs were marked with thin strips of black matte leather. The tunic seemed to be tailored to achieve a perfect fit, highlighting her slender, feminine figure, and trousers, despite a challenging colour and style did not change her into a whale. The fabric was pleasant to touch, yet thick enough not to be see-through.
In addition, she found several sets of shoulder-length gloves in case she wanted to protect wrists and forearms. She quickly noted to herself the fingertips had different texture and when she put them on, she immediately understood why. All of them were properly adapted to operate the touch screens.
She lacked only shoes to dress from head to toe, and found those at the bottom of the closet in a separate compartment. Again she was flabbergasted as she was allowed to choose among several pairs in her size. After a brief deliberation, she picked up jodhpur boots with slightly higher than average heels. In contrast to her new outfit, shoes were black with white accents. She put them on atop short, black socks.
The boots were made of a flexible, but strong material and the inner coating was softly padded. Sara was marveling the feeling that none of the shoes she wore in the human world could give. She immediately noticed the toecaps, suitable for kicks, but due to her experience in dance, she instantly thought about ballet and even tried to stand en pointe, stretching out her arms straight up to the ceiling.
She had not been practicing ballet technique for several years now, and what is more, her current weight - although she always used to be slim, she had never come close to how emaciated the professional dancers were - was against exercises in pointe shoes, so further studying the limitations of her body and the execution of an arabesque was definitely too challenging. Paradoxically, however, this unsuccessful position gave her a burst energy. She felt truly liberated, although she was still trapped in the laboratory in an alien world. It was the first step to break free, to swim against the current imposed by her psychopathic 'guardian'.
She straightened up proudly and proceeded to further inspection.
The next room was a self-styled workshop. The rectangular space was different from the private quarters as it was covered in tiles: black ones on the floor and teal on the walls. Behind her, on one of the shorter walls there was a door to her bedroom, and in the opposite corner – presumably a way out into the corridor, protected by a mechanism seeming too complex to be figured out right away. The remaining space was filled with minimalist cabinets with solid glossy dark gray surfaces, leaning against the walls, resembling her own kitchen a bit. There were two sets of exactly identical, smoothly polished cuboids. Lower tier was topped with honed granite counters. The second tier of polyhedrons was placed slightly above and finished almost at the same height as the ceiling. Both of them devoid of any indication of what they do. She could not see any handles or remote controls that could open them.
The space in the middle was left empty, but Sara thought it was done on purpose, because in a short distance from the center she noticed minor marks on the tiles, as if these pieces could be separated. But for the time being, she had no idea what it might mean in practice, and focused back on the cabinet, as called for simplicity in mind these regular solids - mostly because it reminded her of setting your kitchen.
Lost in her musings, she barely registered a metallic click, announcing opening the outer door. Szayelaporro walked in, accompanied by two of his hollow servants, heaving big box. She moved closer to the exit, in order to have a better view of what is going on in the hallway.
"Well, well, I can tell this place already feels like a home for you" he commented, throwing discreet glances from side to side as if he was wondering whether she had guessed the secrets behind the surroundings, then turned his attention to her.
His eyes scanned her attentively and whatever he has just seen, it must have been satisfactory, since he smiled slightly, and it seemed to Sara, the grimace had something obscene about it. She found it very difficult to remain still when she wanted to roll her eyes. She realised it has to be about the monitoring in the bathroom. She was not embarrassed, rather amused, but tried to hide it. She did not want her sudden burst of high spirits to be spotted by the enemy.
This guy may be a brilliant scientist and a hollow, but he cannot ignore the nature and will remain primarily a man. Dead, but also a horny, perverted man. Fortunately for me, due to location of his hollow hole, he would be forced stop to somewhere in the realm of his sick fantasies.
"Oh, señor Granz, what an honor" she replied with an unnatural, theatrical emphasis. "What have I done to deserve it?"
He pondered conspicuously.
"Haven't you noticed that your quarters lack one important component? As for me, I could leave you here and not lift a finger, but humans" he almost spat the word "as mortal creatures, without the food become utterly useless and eventually die."
He approached her, stopping just next to her, resting one hand on the counter, leaning slightly in her direction, so that she needn't have to keep looking up to maintain eye contact. She felt bizarre, having an arrancar, a dangerous and vile creature in front of her, knowing that additionally he was carefully watching her and analyzing her every move. Although frightened, she did not turn away, neither lowered her eyes, considering that he would recognise it as a sign of weakness.
Meanwhile, the Espada used his free hand to make a gesture directed to the two hollows.
"Lumina. Verona," he spoke to them. "Bring the cargo here and leave it where I showed you. It would be much appreciated if you don't damage the contents. Otherwise, our guest" he shot a quick glance towards her "will be greatly displeased."
Relaxed, full of energy and free from the influence of drugs, she had to objectively admit that the man standing in front of her, despite being mean and cruel, was quite attractive. Sara liked intellectuals with whom she could discuss any extraordinary topic and who tend to challenge her sharp, analytical mind. Szayelaporro seemed to match her type. At first glance, despite being an Espada, he did not appear to be a stereotypical hollow warrior, who uses the brute force at every opportunity.
His features were rather delicate, with a thin nose and a somewhat weak jaw. With remains of the hollow mask looking just like a fashionable pair of spectacles, with his cultural expression and gentle voice, he did not stand out as a hollow. The image of an arrancar was complemented by expressive amber eyes, surrounded by long eyelashes, adding shady appearance to his gaze.
At the same time, she knew that she should not judge the book by its cover and automatically regard scientist as harmless on the sole basis of his looks. He could have seemed slightly underweight for his height, but it was not like he hasn't had any defined muscle and certainly he did not carry a katana with him for fun. Despite his appearance of a smoothly shaved dandy who accidentally started working out at the gym, his aura was filled with pure horror. Sara regarded him with a mixture of awe, respect and a slight touch of antagonism and tenacity, since blindly obeying anyone's orders was not in her character. She did not feel like following anyone just because they claimed themselves to be an authority figure.
However, in this case she concluded that she cannot afford to exaggerate and be completely obstructive. After all, the Espada did not have to provide her with any comfort. She should not be deluded by the fact that any of the amenities were given her for free, and soon she would have to pay for them in some way. At the same time, she was perfectly aware that her reckless behaviour could make her lose it all and bid her return to the infirmary.
"Thank you" she said politely, when two hollows have successfully dealt with the load and left the room. "I'm glad you thought about it, except that given the circumstances, I can't stop wondering: why? And what is the price?"
"I knew you would ask this question. There is no catch this time, it's just the continuation of the tests, which previously you were subjected to. Because your performance in each category scored above average, I decided to proceed to the second stage. For the time being, I find the degree of your cooperation satisfying and I decided that you deserve a reward. Of course, I expect that our collaboration will only be improving over time."
His answer, seemingly clear and coherent, left a lot untold. Sara was thoughtfully considering his words, trying to read between the lines and detect potential pitfalls.
What kind of cooperation? her thoughts were racing at the light speed from one to another. What is he babbling about? The last thing you can say about me is that I was cooperative. What is the meaning of this? Well, except the fact that the guy clearly tries to make me a total fool... it's just more than certain. I have to be careful... but how, if don't even know where exactly I am, I can't communicate with anyone in the human world and I have no idea how the events may develop?
"You look like you don't fully understand your position," the Espada spoke once again, interpreting her silence his way. "Shall I repeat?"
She ignored the barb directed at her and ceased the internal reasoning, which was pointless as it did not bring any added value.
"There's no need for that," she said, glancing boldly at his face. "Sounds like a fair proposal. What will the next test involve?"
"Look around you" he supported this sentence with gestures, pointing his hands around. "Do you know where you are? Of course, except that it's the Las Noches base in Hueco Mundo."
This question caught her very surprised and she was convinced she did a miserable job to conceal it. The Espada smirked when she was frantically searching for the answer in her mind.
"It-it's some kind of... uh, workspace" she stammered at last. "Or a warehouse."
"And what would you work on or what can store here?" he was evidently amused, when he asked for more details "You don't need to share your suggestions with me now. It shall be your first task."
"The easiest way to complete it would be to get a manual" she meowed with little hope in her voice. "I'm sure that you have something like this readily available."
He chuckled irritatingly.
"I created this lab centre myself and accomplished it using my mind alone. I know the arrangement of space, the keys to all crossings, bridges between levels, hidden collapses and other traps... I know everything by heart. Therefore, why would I need something as primitive as a user guide? Besides, I often introduce modifications. One simple change and the instruction becomes worthless. Preparing it is just a waste of time that can be spent on other, not so tedious, tasks."
Sara had somewhat different view on this topic, but for obvious reasons she decided not to say that aloud.
"In due course, I'll provide you with the technology you use in the human world," the arrancar went on. "It should help you in your work. I also finished searching your personal belongings, and because I haven't found anything hazardous, I'll return them to you."
The last sentence sparked her interest.
"My clothes too?"
He shook his head. Somehow it was the answer she expected to hear.
"It is a laboratory based in Las Noches, and you can't work here in the attire as if you were still in the human world. Don't you like the uniform that I designed and prepared for you?"
His question was a camouflaged trap, but Sara detected it with one eye opened.
"Uniform is perfect, thank you" she said, slightly embarrassed to show kindness to her captor. "I didn't know it was you..."
"Get used to it" he interrupted her unceremoniously. "You are claimed to be competent and knowledgeable in the human world, but this is Hueco Mundo. Forget everything that other humans taught you and be open to learning new concepts. By doing this way, you will find easier to absorb theory, which now seems to you to be impossible to implement. And when you're done with the theory, we will also find time to go through the practice."
After going through the morning routine, she decided to put make-up on, despite the lack of a logical reason for such a waste of time. In the laboratory there was hardly any chance to meet anyone else except the head of this part of the base or his hollow subordinates and attempting to look pretty in their presence seemed to be a farce.
Well, she thought while accentuating the upper lash line with a brown eye pencil. The fine lines on the eyelids matched the matt-brown eye shadow. I have to accept the fact that I'm a vain, narcissistic vixen.
After putting on the mascara and applying a lipstick in natural shade of pink, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The result was satisfactory, so there was nothing else to do than to start the second approach to the task at hand. Yesterday she didn't manage to learn anything, probably because she was still stunned by the change of living conditions and lacked technological support. She waited impatiently for the delivery of tools as she was counting heavily on the modern solutions.
Before she left the bathroom, she applied a few drops of her favorite perfume with notes of iris, vanilla, patchouli and incense in the recesses of both wrists and behind the ears. She took a deep breath, savouring the powerful, oriental scent. Her fragrance, like a shot of adrenaline or a dose of energy, gave her courage and confidence. Deep down, she was shivering by a mere thought about confronting the Espada or the sound of his voice, seemingly gentle and polite, but with a distinct and frightening hint of cruelty.
It keeps bothering me why Aizen would want to bring to Hueco Mundo a corporate nerd like me. At the beginning, it seemed to me this is due to information about the shinigami at my disposal, but if this was the case, the course of action would have been completely different. I wouldn't need a 'detox' of any sort if they wanted to acquire the data bank in my head.
Anyway, there can be no reason at all. Hollows like messing with humans for no particular reason, just to entertain themselves.
She sighed quietly.
I'll get nowhere if I keep my focus on such issues. I have to get to work that no one else would complete for me.
She stepped over the entrance to the workspace and quickened her pace, noticing several so-called gifts, which Szayelaporro left to her. She watched them as museum exhibits, refraining from touching them, and moving from one to another instead. They all looked a little surreal, devoid of the characteristics of the known brands, including the logo. Electronics clad in black or steel-gray cases seemed rather like an advertising show than ready-to-use tools.
It was only when she reminded herself that the technology was provided to help her, not to embarrass her, she began to critically assess what she actually had in store. It was a kind of a marriage between past and present, as a large cellphone, resembling a retro handset must have been taken straight from the nineties. In turn, a shiny new iPhone existed in the human world in the prototype stage, and its premiere was one of the best kept trade secrets.
Wait a minute, if I have a phone and a laptop, and if there's decent network connection, then I can contact my family and friends, and ask them for help.
This idea sprouted in her mind when she held a Windows phone in her hand. She would say this model was manufactured a year ago, judging from the available features. While browsing the menu, she did not encounter any locked or inaccessible options. The only difference in comparison with her own phone was the lack of resources, including contacts, but the most important numbers she knew by heart.
And if he's just waiting for it?
She asked herself this question, considering the consequences of contacting anyone in the human world.
Perhaps it's exactly what me expects to do. To import my contacts into the devices, connect to my email account, reveal the password, and as a result, he gains access to my sensitive data. Then he may impersonate me and start insider trading with the shinigami. Or, which would be much worse, he may try to lure my relatives to Hueco Mundo.
Realising this must be a trap, she reluctantly gave up broadcasting SOS messages. Instead, she decided to write an innocent sms to her friend, Anna Brodecka, to check the connection between the worlds.
From: Sara To: Anna
Hi Ann, I hope in you are ok. Sorry that I haven't been around lately, but I was overloaded with work and now I went on spontaneous holidays. Until the last moment I was dealing with the formalities so I couldn't let you know. Sara
Ring announcing the incoming response was like a cry of freedom. So the communication works even between Hueco Mundo and the human world!
From: Anna To: Sara
Is Ernie with you?
From: Sara To: Anna
He couldn't take any days off, so I went alone.
From: Anna To: Sara
Whoa, a solo trip? Have fun! Any trophies so far?
At this point, she took a bit of risk and typed a message that was more or less true – or, at least to a greater extent than the previous ones.
From: Sara To: Anna
I met a nice guy, who looks like a typical geek in glasses.
From: Anna To: Sara
Heh, just don't go all-out.
From: Sara To: Anna
No worries. There might be some technical problems with hardware.
From: Anna
? I'd rather not ask for details. Talk to you later, take care.
A similar conversation established to Liwia Roman, with whom she used to work in one team three years ago. Their paths went separate - Sara was promoted to a manager, and Liwia chose the profession of a freelancer – but they remained good friends. They had a lot of common interests, albeit a slightly different perspective on life, so they could learn from each other. They also liked to send themselves creatively written messages, the meaning of which could be guessed only by the two of them. In this case, however, the dialogue was not that long, because Liwia was on her way to the volleyball training, or rather, as she put it, the collective shifting of control over the ball on the field partitioned by a too highly suspended net.
When Sara was going to turn on the laptop to try it out, Szayelaporro just arrived in the workspace. Actually, she could not spot the moment he entered or teleported there, because she didn't hear his footsteps until he was walking beside her.
"Good morning" she greeted him.
He did not say a word, just nodded, stepping a bit closer. He picked up the phone as if sensing that it was a tool to start a conversation with Anna and he immediately went into the messages menu, smiling to himself that his silly pet hadn't thought of something so obvious as erasing her ridiculous requests for help. But even if she was that diligent, it wouldn't help her at the slightest. The arrancar had made certain that no message with the words 'help', 'rescue' or similar was going to be delivered to the recipient. It was amusing to follow unsuspecting Sara in her pathetic and desperate attempts to break free.
The fact that messages were written in an unfamiliar language was not an issue. This device was equipped with a built-in dictionary, so it took a brief moment to display rough translations to Spanish.
As he was reading, his smile was gradually fading and finally disappeared – suddenly as a candle flame blown by strong wind. Szayelaporro threw the phone on the floor with such force that it broke into pieces. When he turned in Sara's direction, she could not believe how swift and radical change occurred in the usually calm scientist's demeanor.
"You vulgar bitch!" he cried in a terrifying voice she hadn't heard him utilizing before "How dare you make fun of me!"
Moving unnaturally quickly, he grabbed her arm and pressed her the wall. Grimace, which appeared on his features, reminded her of bared teeth of a predator who just caught its prey. Sara was shocked and horrified, as she realized it was the first time she saw him in such an aggressive state... although they hadn't had many occasions to interact. Therefore, if it was only the beginning, what kind of monstrosities were waiting for her round the corner?
And even though she knew that hollows are cannibals, feeding on both human souls and the others of their kind, at least Szayelaporro appeared to be different, posing as a nice, sympathetic man. At the same time, she was convinced that madness exhibited by his face was not another of his stage creations. He was genuinely angry and to give vent to his fury, he would not hesitate to tear her apart with his bare hands.
When Sara cocked her head, he drew the sword and swung the blade right in front of her, forcing her to straighten up and look straight at his mad face. Feeling cold blade at her neck, and his breath on her skin, she was calculating and it seemed the odds were not in her favour. There was no one else in the room, and if she had even found one of the victims of his experiments, she could not automatically assume that they would have rushed to help her. On top of that, the Espada was much stronger than her, and also kept her at bay with the blade with supernatural abilities.
Stay quiet, she told herself. Do not speak without being asked and try to ignore his anger. This is the only way to calm him down and get away.
"You think that knowing my little secret, you can afford to mock me? That you can pose as an important persona just because you hacked a database?"
"Ouch, stop" she tried to sound the most sweetly and politely, as she was able to produce. "What are you doing? You gave me new clothes and now you want to ruin them with bloodstains?"
She tried to raise her right hand to show him that she had no bad intentions, the more that just released his grip on her arm. But as usual, it was a trap. With his free hand, he slammed his fist against the wall just next her head. She glanced at a hole of the size of an ostrich egg and began to frantically think about changing her strategy to survive this battle.
"I can't get over how presumptuous you are, human vermin. I wonder if you'd be in such a jolly mood, having undergone mastectomy or labiaplasty. Right now. Without anesthesia," he hissed. "Maybe then you'll get rid of these pathetic attempts to beg for my attention. As if an ordinary human harlot could spark any interest in me..."
Well, we can head into this direction...
"Fantasies cost nothing" she intercepted the flow of the conversation, when he paused, all while carefully watching his reactions. "Besides, it was a private message. How should I know that you're interested in some chit-chat?"
He backed up, clearly struck by her words.
"What a tasteless provocation" he snarled contemptuously. "You provoked me, didn't you?"
"If you don't take risks, you'll always work for someone who does" she answered sententiously.
"That's right. But you have to remember about risk mitigating strategies."
He sheathed his sword and took several steps towards the exit, releasing her from the impasse. Standing against the wall, he followed her every move with sharp gaze.
"What should I do now?" she asked, trying to put her trembling voice under control. "Should I apologise to you on my knees or rather dance or sing?"
He combed his hair on the side, laughing. Although there was no trace of the joy, she instinctively sensed that the crisis was gone, and Szayelaporro returned to his impeccably suave alter ego.
"You'd look absolutely delicious on your knees" he said, giving her an arrogant look. "But no... it's all for today. I hope that you drew the correct conclusions from this lesson."
"Yes," she admitted. "I took it to heart."
Even when Sara was left without a word and secured the door, she could not afford to breathe a sigh of relief. He could return any minute and there were surveillance cameras all over this place. If he saw her fainting from terror, he would not forget to take advantage of this later on.
In fact, being conscious or not is irrelevant as he's definitely stronger than me. He was right, it was a useful lesson. I've noticed that after he verbalises his threats, he is less inclined to actually make them happen.
