Okay, this is where things start to pick up and get more exciting.
Takuya: Lies! It's lies I tell you!
Me: Oh, pipe down! I didn't ask you for your opinion, Kanbara. And I'd keep quiet if I were you. You should know by now just how sadistic I can be... *holds up a blowtorch and a can of lighter fluid* Plus, it's been awhile since I've killed someone...would you be interested in being my first victim?
Takuya: O_O; ...Uh... *hands over a wad of cash*
Me: *counts cash* Okay, you're saved...for now... Anyway, moving on, please enjoy this chapter and review when you're finished ^_^
Losing Control
Chapter 4
Takuya awoke with a grunt of pain, feeling as though he had been hit in the head with a metal pipe.
"Ugh...what the fuck..."
The brunette found it difficult to open his eyes, but from the soreness in his body, it seemed that he was lying on a hard floor rather than the couch he had passed out on. The floor was smooth and cold, feeling almost like a block of ice.
Groaning, he heaved himself up into a sitting position and soon managed to open his aching eyes. He nearly jumped out of his skin once he had focused onto his surroundings.
"Hey! What the fuck is going on?" he cried out.
Takuya was no longer in the library, but instead was in a snow white room, the floor made of smooth tiles. He was not alone in the room, recognizing his friends, the couple he had met, and four other people he had never seen before.
To his left, Zoe was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. A metal collar was around her neck, the collar lined with leather on both the inside and out from what he could see. The back of the collar had a chain attached to it, the other end of the chain connecting into the wall through a tiny hole. Takuya tried to crawl over to her, as she was only about five feet away. Yet to his horror, he too had a metal collar around his neck, restraining him. His arms and legs were free and unbound, but the collar kept him from moving more than a few inches away from the wall.
Above Zoe, he could see writing on the wall, made with some type of red paint. Tilting his head, Takuya saw that it simply read Orimoto Zoe. Upon craning his neck painfully, he discovered that his own name was above his head on the wall, reading Kanbara Takuya.
"What the fuck is this place?" He scanned the room in utter shock.
To Zoe's left, a young woman was sitting against the wall, clearly out cold. She had long, dark brown hair with light brown highlights, keeping it pulled back in a high ponytail. Her bangs fell over her closed eyes, as her head was tilted downward. She was dressed in a tight red blouse, a blue denim skirt that ended mid-thigh, black leather boots that went just below the knee, and a black leather overcoat. Her name was written on the wall above her head as well.
Benoit Madison.
On the next wall, to Madison's left, a young man was beginning to regain his senses. He had disheveled white hair, and upon opening his eyes, Takuya could see that they were a strange whitish-blue color. The man wore a light blue button-up shirt, black pants, and black dress shoes. There was a silver skull ring on his left thumb, and another silver ring in his right middle finger. His name was written on the wall for the brunette to see.
Kiriyama Genji.
Continuing down the line, to Genji's left, there was another unconscious woman, her legs splayed out as her back rested against the wall. She had her light purple hair styled into a bobbed pixie-cut. The woman was wearing tight leather pants, a strapless silver bustier, and silver stilletos. She appeared to be wearing a silver thong, as the straps were visible above her low-rise pants. Her breasts were large and rounded, indicating that they could be implants as they swelled at the cups of her top. Takuya could see her name on the wall as well.
Takiguchi Sumiyo.
To Sumiyo's left, Kouji was curled up in a ball on the floor, though he slowly seemed to be regaining consciousness. His name was written on the wall in the same manner.
Minamoto Kouji.
J.P. was beside Kouji, unmoving as his back rested against the wall. He too wore one of those leather-lined collars that everyone else wore, the chain glittering as his head hung down.
Shibayama J.P.
To the wall left of J.P., Asame was the first person chained to it. She was lying on her side, her aqua eyes slowly fluttering open. Again, her name was written on the wall above her head with the strange red paint.
Kuronaga Asame.
Satoshi was beside his fiancee, though he still seemed to be completely out cold. He was sitting up against the wall, his face tilted upward, as if he were staring up at the ceiling.
Hatagami Satoshi.
To his left, Kouichi was blinking slowly, as he too had recently regained his senses. Like Takuya, he was confused and horrified about the situation they were in. His name was on the wall in red, a stark contrast to the to the snow white color of the rest of the room.
Kimura Kouichi.
Tommy was next to Kouichi, but he was still unconscious. He was lying on his stomach, the chain pulled out only enough to allow him to lie there without being choked.
Himi Tommy.
There were four walls all together, but one of them remained bare except for a single door. It was nearly invisible in the room, its knob the only part of it showing, as it blended in with the rest of the surroundings.
Upon glancing to his right, Takuya discovered one final person in the room, chained to same wall as himself. The man had short cropped brown hair, and beard stubble covering his chin and mustache area. His skin was rather tan, as if he spent quite a bit of time outdoors. He was wearing a dark green t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Like the others, he had a metal collar around his neck and his name written on the wall.
Nanahara Hiroki.
"What the fuck is this place?" Takuya muttered under his breath.
He attempted to tug at his chain to extract it from the wall, but found that it remained stuck in place. Kouichi pulled at his as well, swallowing down the bile that had risen to the back of his throat.
"Takuya," he said in a thick voice. "What the hell is going on? How did we get here?"
The brunette simply shook his head, his mouth gaped as he scanned the room. He had no idea what had happened or where they were. Both he and his raven-haired friend tried to break free of their chains, hoping to snap them. However, they were too sturdy to be broken by a mere human, and the metal collars proved to be impossible to remove as well. The only way to get them off was to use a specific key, indicated by a small lock. Other than the twelve people imprisoned, the white room was completely bare of any other items. The doorknob and lights on the ceiling were the only exception to the rule.
"Zoe," Takuya called out, noticing her once again. "Zoe, are you okay?"
The blond groaned, rolling onto her side. With her eyes still closed, her hands fumbled up to where her collar was.
"What the...?"
Her emerald eyes snapped open a moment later, though she quickly blinked in pain as the blinding white room came into view. She rubbed them, then squinted to lessen the intensity. Her breath caught in her throat as she scanned the room, terrified and dumbfounded.
"Where the hell are we?" she asked sharply, her hands shaking as she attempted to pry her collar open. "What are these things on our necks?"
"I don't know," Takuya replied dully. "But we're all chained to the wall by them..."
One by one, the rest of the group began to come to their senses, all of them having the same horrified expressions.
"You've gotta be friggen kidding me," Genji muttered under his breath. "I've been in some fucked up situations before. But this, by far, is the most fucked up one ever."
The woman with the silver bustier, Sumiyo, tugged at her collar. "Hey! Somebody get me outta here! Now!"
"Junichi! Where are you?" Kouichi yelled, trying to yank his chain out of the wall. "Junichi!"
"C'est insensé," Madison murmured..
"What did you say?" Genji asked in a condescending tone of voice. "Sorry, Sweetheart. But we're in Japan, not France."
The ponytailed woman glared at him. "Does it really matter what the fuck I said? And if I want to speak my native language, then I will. All I said was that this is insane. Stupid prick."
"I think our situation is a bit more important than figuring out which languages we're supposed to speak," Kouji snarled.
Genji smirked. "You weren't exactly involved in the conversation."
"What conversation?" Madison demanded. "You were just being a jackass about-"
"Would everyone just shut up?" J.P. shouted. "Jeez, you're all like a bunch of kids."
Sumiyo raised an eyebrow, adjusting her top. "Well, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed."
"No, I just woke up with a fucking collar around my neck," he shot back. "Just like the rest of you."
Zoe scanned the room, trying to see if there were any cameras installed anywhere. She could just barely spot one across the room near the ceiling, its only giveaway its tiny green light.
"Junichi! I know you can see us," she said loudly, looking directly at the camera. "Tell us what the fucking meaning of this is!"
"How do you know that Junichi is behind this?" Asame questioned. "Maybe he was attacked and-"
However, Takuya cut her off before she could continue. "I don't think that Junichi is a victim in this. It would've made sense if all of us were attacked and knocked out. But we weren't. I'm not sure about those four, but the eight of us passed out right after after eating."
"Yeah, it all happened so sudden," Tommy chimed in. "Do you...do you think he drugged us?"
"Only one way to find out," Takuya replied. "Junichi! Get your ass out here right now! Come on, you pussy!"
Genji snorted in contempt. "Sure, piss off the guy who imprisoned us. Great going, Fuckface."
"Oh, go fuck yourself," the brunette growled, his chocolate-colored eyes narrowed. "No offense, but I kinda wanna know what the hell is going on."
"As do I," the white-haired man replied as he leaned against the wall casually. "But it's never a good idea to go about things the wrong way."
Sumiyo scoffed. "Both of you just shut up already. I know how to get that bastard's attention if he's watching us with that damn camera."
Getting on her knees with her back straight, she pulled her corset down to reveal her voluptuous breasts. All of the guys, except for Genji, turned beat red, immediately tearing their gaze away. The girls simply sighed in contempt, rolling their eyes as they watched her degrading attempt to get Junichi's attention. The half-topless woman began to massage the large mounds in her hands, running her fingers over her nipples.
"Junichi, come out here," Sumiyo said in a sultry voice. "If you do, you can have some of this."
Just then, the door to the room opened, and Junichi stepped inside with a smug grin. "Glad to see that you're all awake. And I'll have to decline your offer, Sumiyo."
"What the hell is going on?" Kouji demanded. "Why are we chained in here?"
Instead of answering the question right away, Junichi simply closed the door and leaned his back up against it nonchalantly. "I lucked out this time around. I didn't have to go searching or anything..."
"The fuck are you talking about?" Madison spat. "Morceau de merde..."
"Well, last time I actually had to go out and rally everyone up myself. But today, everyone seemed to just fall right into my lap." He glanced at Madison carelessly. "And for your information, I'm not a piece of shit. Feel free to cuss at me in Japanese."
She scoffed. "Fucker."
"Why the hell are we here?" Takuya hissed, holding his head in his hands. "Just spit it out already before we grow old and decrepit."
"Research," Junichi told them.
Kouichi sighed, banging his temple against the white wall. "Of course..."
Satoshi tugged at his metal collar, wincing as it bit into the skin. "Ah, dammit. Come on, Junichi. Whatever it is that you're researching, you're not going about it the right way."
"Oh, but I am," he retorted. "I can't do it any other way."
"What, by keeping us prisoner?" Tommy asked, still in shock about the situation. "What is it exactly that you're researching anyway?"
Junichi chuckled softly, gazing down at the floor. "Well, it all started about ten years ago, when I was twenty-three. I was having quite a bit of trouble financially, so I moved out of my apartment and came to live here with my uncle. You see, at the time when I moved in, I wasn't aware of what type of research he was conducting, so I had never questioned him about it. Nobody else in my family knew about it either, but my uncle decided that he trusted me enough to give me a bit of insight."
Genji slid his skull ring up and down on his thumb. "And what research was that? Finding out how many ways you can go fuck yourself?"
"He was conducting experiments that related to the human mind and how it works," Junichi replied, unfazed by the blatant insult. "My uncle had always been curious about humans' behavior and what triggered their emotions. However, he was more interested in seeing if such behavior could be changed and controlled with only a push of a button almost."
"So what exactly was he researching?" Takuya asked impatiently. "Quit beating around the bush and just fucking tell us already!"
He smirked, adjusting one of the buttons on his shirt. "He wanted to conduct experiments by seeing if certain chemicals would affect the human mind. What I mean is, by injecting a person with such chemicals, you could control just what type of mood they were in. For example, when a human is filled with rage, their body pumps adrenaline, which would therefore slightly increase their strength for a short time."
Satoshi frowned slightly. "So he wanted to purposely change people's moods to give them more strength? What's the point of that?"
"My uncle was very pro-military," Junichi explained. "In his mind, if a certain serum were injected into soldiers, they would be filled with blind rage. In doing so would not only give them temporarily increased speed and durability, but also more deadly with weapons. No holding back with hesitation, just a sheer, uncut killing mode."
Everyone exchanged glances, their faces filled with confused horror. Hiroki, who had remained silent throughout the ordeal, quietly cursed under his breath as he bowed his head in defeat.
"My uncle succeeded in creating such a serum which would affect a human's rage," he continued. "But he wasn't quite satisfied at just that. He wanted to find out if he could control other moods with the same purposes, especially since he was one of the those people who likes to be in control. Yet everyone rejected his ideas, calling them unconstitutional and inhuman. Over the years, he experimented on a variety of human emotions including lust, depression, and paranoia, to name a few."
"Just...fucking...great," Kouji mumbled.
J.P. glared at Junichi, his hands clenched into fists. "So you brought us here so that we could serve as your lab rats?"
"You can call it that, yes," Junichi replied. "The rest of my family shunned my uncle's ideas, thinking him to be a lunatic. I was the only one who understood why he was doing it, and became fascinated myself. He took me under his wing and became my mentor, teaching me everything that he know. Unfortunately, after five years of his experiments, my family found out what exactly he was doing and how he was abducting people to experiment on them. He was arrested and sent to prison with a life sentence, as nearly fifty subjects were killed in the process as he tried to perfect his serums. Two years later, he was killed after a brawl had broken out in the prison. I had spent those previous years trying to carry on his work, as he had never completed most of his formulas, though I still haven't quite reached perfection yet either."
"What happened to the rest of your family?" Asame asked him. "Y-You told us that they died in a fire, but you also told us that your uncle was with them at the time. What really happened to them?"
He grinned. "I'm glad you asked. You see, I never got over the fact that they were responsible for my uncle's arrest, but also his death since they were the reason he was sent to prison in the first place. I was so bitter about what they had done with all of his hard work, that I decided that they didn't deserve to walk away just like that. I didn't lie when I said that they died in a fire at a hotel. However, I was responsible for their deaths, as I had snuck into the hotel the night before. I managed to get down to the basement after impersonating a hotel worker and planted a bomb, setting it so that it would detonate the next night. Which it did, killing my entire family in the process. Since I was not present and had an alibi, I was not held responsible and inherited everything. Although I had been estranged from my family for those past few years, they had never written me out of their wills. On top of that, my uncle had left me his mansion and fortune upon his demise, so I walked out filthy rich. Since he is no longer around, I will carry on his name and research, perfecting it after ten long years of painstakingly hard work."
"So what, you're just gonna keep us prisoner and chained like a bunch of rabid dogs?" Takuya snarled. "How long do you plan on keeping us here?"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot answer that question since I don't know," Junichi replied. "But I should really tell you a little something about those chains and collars."
Sumiyo, who had since pulled her top back up, groaned in misery. "I take it as they're not just here because you like it kinky."
"No, but that was a good guess." Their tormentor ran one of his hands through his hair. "For one thing, within each of those chains there is a single tube which leads out through one whichever wall you guys are attached to. Those tubes then lead into an examination room, where I will be waiting and conducting the experiments. There are six unique serums, and I can inject those tubes with whichever ones I please. There are side-effects, but I won't be getting into those, as you'll find out sooner or later."
"But how will those serums be injected into us?" Kouji scoffed.
"Within each collar is a tiny syringe that will spring out whenever I decided to put those experiments into action," Junichi explained. "For instance, let's say that I want to control Tommy's level of paranoia, all I have to do is pick the serum that will control such a mood. I will then attach it to the back of his tube, which will travel through his chain and into the syringe. The syringe will then prick into the back of his neck and release its contents. It's all very simple once you get the gist of it."
"You're fucking insane!" Zoe cried out. "You can't just keep us chained in this room like this!"
He raised an eyebrow. "On the contrary, I can. And I will as long as I please. The last set of humans I tested on didn't last very long, as there were quite a few kinks in most of the experiments. All of them had died within twelve hours. But this time, things should be more successful. Not only do I have twelve subjects as oppose to just six, but I have made improvements to those serums. And I also took the liberty of drawing a bit of blood from each of you so I can see which blood types react more with certain chemicals in the serums, which I failed to do last time. For some fun, I wrote each of your names on the wall in your own blood, just so at least everyone is acquainted. The rest is bottled up so I can study the effects more closely. And in case you're wondering why none of you have gauze pads on your arms, it's because all of you have since stopped bleeding and I took those gauze to study those as well."
"I don't fucking believe this," J.P. muttered angrily. "You're sick..."
Takuya glared at Junichi, tugging at his collar again. "You can't fucking do this to us, you prick! People are gonna come looking for us!"
"No, they won't be," he replied dryly. "I already disposed of everyone's cars."
"But the towing company will be coming around to look for us," Satoshi pointed out.
"And I'll tell them that you were able to get your car started up and left," Junichi replied. "I've already thought of every possible scenario, so even if people are looking you, they won't find you. On top of that, this is an underground research lab that is well hidden. I've already hidden everyone's belongings, so if the police should come around to investigate, they'll find no traces of you whatsoever."
Madison let out a distressed sob. "This can't be happening..."
"It kind of is, Sweetheart," Genji said dryly. "Look around and see for yourself."
"Oh, go fuck yourself!" she screamed, then turned her attention to Junichi. "And you can go fuck yourself, too! You're going to unchain us and let us go right now!"
Junichi chuckled softly. "You can't threaten me and expect me to listen to you. I own and control each and everyone one of you like you're all my pets. You will be fed three meals a day, and I will take everyone for bathroom breaks at certain hours as well. Though keep in mind that even if you are unchained temporarily and try to pull any stunts, I can still cause you pain and suffering with the simple push of a button. Each of the collars has a tiny device that will shock the wearer if I see fit to it. So no matter what, you will be under my control. The first experiment will begin in only a few hours. There is a seventh chemical that will be injected into each of you beforehand to knock you out and nothing more. Then the second injection will be done at random with everyone experiencing different emotion catalysts. So while Hiroki may deal with a feeling of deep depression, Zoe may be going through a powerful stage of bloodlust. Everyone will be in for quite a surprise."
"This seems like a bad horror movie," Kouji growled, his sapphire eyes narrowed. "Storm hits...people go to a mansion for shelter...owner of the mansion is a crazy bastard."
"Yes, but I'm not your average psycho," he pointed out. "Many have no motivation and my intention is not exactly to kill you. Death is more of a side-effect that I am anticipating. Also, at times I may loosen your chains so that you are more free to wander the room a bit. Other times, only one of you will be mobile around the room while the others are helplessly chained to the wall. I may sometimes put something into the middle of the room to trigger your altered emotions to increase their results."
"What do you mean by that?" Satoshi asked, his voice husky with fear.
Junichi began to make his way to the door, his hand on the knob. "We humans often hide our true emotions, masking them with fake ones to conceal them from others. A normally docile person may be revealed dangerous when those emotions are revealed. A violent person may turn downright murderous. So not only will I be controlling how everyone is feeling and the severity, but I will leave certain items that may intensify such effects. Secrets come out...true feelings emerge...and safety is elimited. Enjoy the next few hours while I prepare everything."
Leaving everyone imprisoned against the walls, the man slinked out of the room, locking it behind him. His footsteps could be heard walking leisurely down the corridor, the sound banging in everyone's ears in a deafening manner as the silence of the white room hung in the air.
Finally, Madison let out a dismayed whimper, wiping a few tears off her face. "Nous allons tous mourir."
Kouichi swallowed a lump in his throat, deciding to ask the question that everyone was wondering. "What did you just say?"
She slowly looked up at him, her brown eyes filled with dread. "...We're all going to die..."
See, although it may still be a bit on the boring side, things are picking up a bit. The future chapters (I'd say within two or three of them) will contain some type of violence and lemons. Fair warnings will be posted beforehand.