A.N: Just the usual here.Thanks for the kind reviews and being added to so many alert lists etc. Sorry about the delay. Back in school ful time...gah.
Anyhoo, enjoy the chapter.
Alone
"Halt!"
The gruff call that reached Raine's ears came from high above, presumably from a watch tower or some such building. Blindfolded as she was, she could only use her hearing to understand the situation.
"State Identification and Purpose!"
"Commander Thwaite 1-3-7, replacing late Commander Swale 0-2-7. On return from Impure sanctuary reconnaissance upon capture of impures."
"…Identification and purpose recognised. Open the gate!"
A loud grating sound shook the area as the screech of rusted metal hinges announced the opening of the gates to…wherever it was they were.
"Move."
A spear tip prodded Raine in the shoulder and she held her head high, despite her blinded and bound state as she was marched forwards. Marching footsteps accompanied her, keeping her in line as she was roughly guided to a new area. A dank smell, similar to that of mildew, filled her nose as she entered the new place and it reminded her of the Temple of Earth. The texture of grass and earth faded from underfoot, replaced with solid stone, the tone of the footsteps changing with the transition in flooring. Distantly, she noticed an increase in mana presence in the air, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle…this place, the atmosphere, the smell, it seemed familiar.
Ahead of her, keys jangled, metal squealed again and somehow, it seemed to get darker…more oppressive.
"Halt. Secure area."
Heavy thuds of bootsteps echoed in the area, and a cacophony of noise temporarily deafened her.
"Take the prisoners to the holding area for sorting."
She was pushed this time, a palm roughly shoved against her shoulder in a general direction and after a short walk, she was pushed forward, her blindfold ripped off and a gate slammed shut behind her.
Blinking rapidly, Raine tried to adjust her eyes to the twilit area she was in.
It was a small, damp room deep underground, a heavy earthy smell hanging in the air. The walls were clad in wire mesh, forming a compound, a length of wire behind her holding the gate, forming a front wall, a similar piece ahead of her creating a back wall.
"Raine…" Genis' voice was small, nervous and she looked to her little brother, placing a hand on his shoulder in reassurance whilst her eyes returned to scanning the room.
"This place is so familiar," she mused, watching water trickling down a rough red-brown wall. Moss grew up the sides, a gnarled tree root peeking out through a crack, dead and rotting.
"That root…This isn't…?" Genis questioned, swapping into the same analytical mode as his sister.
"The root, the increased mana in the air, those walls, the familiarity…"
"We're underneath the Tower of Salvation's ruins, aren't we?"
"Yes, I think so. I don't think the great tree's roots would've destroyed the structure underneath just yet. It's a ready made base for…whoever these people are."
"They're half-elf haters."
The voice was murmured from the far corner of the cell, making the two half-elves jump. They hadn't realised they weren't alone.
"Over here, in the far corner." The voice directed and Genis and Raine crept forward into the shadowed area.
Huddled in a dark, wet corner, were five half elves.
"We've been here two days," the voice repeated and they turned to the owner. A young man with greasy black hair looked up at them from under his long fringe, his eyes wary.
"What are they planning to do with us?" Raine asked, noting slender, pointed ears on the young man…he was more elf than half-elf.
"Who knows? They keep saying about 'sorting' us, but never actually do anything…where did they catch you?"
"Exire," she answered automatically "My brother and I were investigating why it fell, but they ambushed us and….oh, gods…"
"Raine?" Genis asked, looking up at her, questioning the worried tone.
"Kratos….I was so wrapped up in what's happened to us I'd forgotten about him."
"They left a half-elf?" the black haired man questioned "Odd."
"No, not half-elf. Kratos is human." Genis informed him.
"You had a human guardian?" the question came from a woman cradling a small baby.
"Friend, not guardian." Raine corrected "Gods, if he's dead it's my fault."
"He's Kratos, sis. It'd take more than a stab and a blow across the head to kill him."
"That's true…and I did send a note to Lloyd before we left."
"See? He'll be OK…I think we need to focus on our situation right now."
"Yes, you're right." She took a breath and turned to the other half-elves. "Tell me everything you know."
A teenage girl at the black-haired man's side scoffed. "We don't know anything. We were brought here 2 days ago, locked up and left in this pen. All we know is that they're going to sort us and that they're capturing half-elves."
Raine nodded "OK… we know where we are. So…"
The metal door that led into the chamber slammed open behind them, and Raine spun to face the human who had just entered.
He was a tall man, flanked by six soldiers, three on either of his sides. Striding to the gate he quickly tapped a number into the lock and pulled the gate open, entering the pen.
"Well then, seven are there? And in three days. Not a bad number." He looked to the half-elves in the corner and motioned for one of his men to go and stand by a set of metal doors set into the left wall.
"Alright. Women first, followed by the men, let's go." He pointed to the door, gesturing for Raine to go through to the next room.
Instead, the professor merely stood and stared back at the man defiantly. "Move, or be moved, woman."
No response.
Striding towards the half-elves, he brushed past Raine and grabbed the adolescent girl, throwing her in the direction of the door. She stumbled and fell, grazing her arm. Hurriedly she got up and after a moment of staring at the man and his soldiers, ran through the door. The other females, the woman holding the baby and a small girl, about 8 years old, scurried after her.
The commanding man turned back to Raine and inclined his head towards the door "Move."
Despite the threat, Raine still refused to move and the man snarled in irritation. "We've got a stubborn one here."
Seizing hold of her in a motion that was too quick to dodge, he grasped her by the hair and pulled her into the adjoining room, shouting for the males to be brought through as well.
Raine struggled against the man, holding onto his arm in an attempt to ease the grip on her hair, kicking out at him all the time. Her foot caught the back of his knee and it buckled slightly, but he didn't falter in his dragging her, instead tightening the grip on her hair.
The room she was being dragged into, along with the other half-elves, was a blinding white, and as she took note of the room, she heard the metal doors clang shut. There was no way out…not that way anyway.
"Females on the other side."
She was suddenly released from the man's grip. Or rather, thrown, into the wall to her left where the other female half-elves were being lined up in military fashion. Warm hands pressed against her back, stopping her from slamming into the wall and Raine twisted to see the turquoise haired teenage girl that had given her such a sarcastic response earlier.
Raine nodded in thanks at her, and the girl gave her a slight smile before she helped to pull her to her feet, placing a steadying hand at her back.
A scream to their left made them turn to the noise, to see the woman with the baby fighting with a soldier trying to prise the wailing baby from her.
"Hey!"
Raine had cried it before she even realised she was thinking about it, and all eyes turned towards her. Fidgeting, not knowing what she was going to do now that she had the attention of the guards, she tried to come up with a plan…one that didn't seem to want to appear to her.
After a moment, the white haired woman straightened her back and raised her head, facing the offending guard in a manner that she hoped would make him back off. Though she doubted that it would.
"Yes? Is there something you'd like to say, she-elf?" the commander, who had dragged her into the room, mocked her, mirroring her stance and staring down his nose at her.
"…What the hell do you intend to do here?"
The question wasn't quite what she had been hoping for as a means of assering herself, but it worked at diverting the attention from the mother and babe. For a moment, anyway.
"You'll be sorted, assigned to quarters, and put to work."
"Doing what, exactly?"
The commander chuckled, a dark sound that made Raine shiver slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Genis, staring at her with a look that warned her not to do anything stupid.
'Too late. I've turned into Lloyd already.'
"It's none of your concern for the moment…now, since you've been ever so interested in what we're going to do here, you can go first and give the rest of your filthy kind an example of what's to happen here."
His hand whipped out and closed around her bicep in a grasp that threatened to snap the bone in her upper arm. Raine pulled back slightly, testing the grip he had on her, but the warning squeeze on her arm caused her to wince and she quickly moved back to ease the pressure on her arm. Giving a twisted attempt at a smile, he pulled her to the front of the room where a steel table stood, causing Raine to eye it uneasily.
Dissection tables, stained with old, dried blood, and fitted with leather restraints were rarely a good sign.
From behind a curtain screen, a man dressed in plain white clothes appeared, a pair of white latex gloves on his thin, bony hands and Raine tensed, her muscles bunching into knots beneath her skin.
"New lot, eh?" the man addressed the commander, pulling lank brown hair into a short ponytail.
"Been here 2 days tops, Dr. Griffin."
"Is that so? Better get them settled in quickly then?" he gave a shark like grin to the other man before turning, presenting the same grin to Raine.
"Now, dear," he addressed the half-elf, his voice sickeningly patronising "If you'd just like to sit on the table."
"And if I wouldn't?" Raine asked, folding her arms across her chest defensively.
The doctor's grin faded a little, and he smoothly reached into his pant pocket, pulling out a filled needle.
"Trust me, compliance is easier and less humiliating."
Grinding her back teeth, the silver haired half-elf stared at the human, then slowly, reluctantly, hopped up onto the table.
"Good girl." A second later his hand was on her shoulder, slamming her down onto the table top as the other locked around her throat. A few nurses that she hadn't noticed before trotted over to her, pinning her to the table despite the fact the she wasn't struggling.
Panic blossomed in Raine's stomach at the feeling of being restrained, the intimidation they were causing her making her squirm, her muscles tensing further, to a degree that was almost painful. The threat of that needle, which could do Lord-knows-what to her, wasn't exactly helping either.
Leaning over her, Dr. Griffin started what seemed like an ordinary physical exam, checking eyes and ears, skin, reflexes…everything, before working his way down her body then back up to her head.
"OK, take notes class," he gestured to a group of white clad young men and women "Typical subject: Female half-elf, human age – mid twenties. A mana scan will tell us her actual age, so we'll do that after the exam."
A few of the attendants murmured and nodded. Raine stayed completely still, knowing it would be unwise to move in such a precarious situation.
"Mixed blood percentage to determine degrees of race will also be ascertained during the mana scan. Subject seems to be in excellent health, minimal injuries-most likely caused by capture, will heal within 2 weeks. Muscle density is good, eyes bright, sinuses clear, reflexes…"
He reached up to her mouth and the exam took an unpleasant turn that wasn't entirely unexpected, and she found herself choking as long fingers were shoved into her mouth and down her throat, her shoulders pinned to the table, body arching as she gagged against the invasion.
"Reflexes seem excellent."
The fingers were drawn out of her throat into her mouth, prodding roughly at gums and teeth. "Judging by the teeth, bones are in excellent condition."
Raine coughed as he drew his fingers fully out of her mouth, her body shuddering against the previous violation, feeling like an animal for sale being assessed by a prospective new buyer. Everything was poked, prodded and examined externally, save for her 'reflexes' and she could only hope the doctor didn't plan on doing any invasive exams. Especially in front of a room full of strangers.
"Alright. Fetch the mana scanner."
Still shuddering, Raine rolled onto her side, having been released, coughing weakly and using the act as a cover for her assessment of the situation. Surreptitiously, she rolled her eyes up to look at the white curtain expecting to see a large piece of machinery that resembled a torture device being pulled out.
Instead however, a frail looking woman was led out, her eyes closed and stumbling blindly, bony hands extended to guide her.
Rolling his eyes, Griffin grabbed the woman by the white, sack-like clothing she was wearing and pulled her over to the table.
The woman was a half-elf, and by the slender, now ripped ears, like the black-haired boy, of more elf than human blood.
"This is our mana scanner." The physician gestured to the woman "If you'd like to roll over onto your back." He 'requested' of Raine, using that same patronising, nauseatingly fake tone of voice.
Barely holding back a snappy comment of just where he could roll to, she glared at him and turned over, ice-blue eyes locked onto dark green, unmoving despite the movement of her body.
"Commence." He commanded of the woman and she shuffled forward, bumping pitifully into the edge of the steel examination table.
Extending her hands so that they were above Raine's head she began to mumble to herself, words of ancient elvish cascading down into the younger half-elf's ears, soothing as a faint glow emitted from her hands, a silver light that descended and lay over her body like a protective barrier.
The woman's eyes flicked open and she stared down at her subject, her eyes filmed over with white - the mana scanning technique had been carried by her for so long that the exposure to the bright light of mana had blinded her.
Raine felt her stomach knot in disgust at the idea, pity for this woman overriding all other feelings…she was here, soothing her, despite the wrongs done to her and…
Pain blinded her. Bolts of mana stabbing into her as the light sunk into her body, and she felt more exposed and vulnerable that ever before.
Her clothing and skin had been stripped away, leaving her naked to this woman's perverse gaze, the centre of her being, her mana supply and soul exposed.
She screamed, pulsating, red mana that was stripping and searching and ripping her to shreds coursing through her veins and Raine could practically feel her own, natural, white mana being forced back as it struggled against this invader.
Eventually, that searing pain faded, the invasive mana withdrawing and the world gradually came back to her, in blurred shades of grey that sharpened as colour returned.
Distantly, she could hear talking.
"..young…..v..ry…y….g f..r………….lf….rou…ly….eq….bou….fif….ix…el….re….hu…n."
Hands slid under Raine's shoulders and as the world returned fully, she realised that she was being carried to a different room. She jerked in those hands, aware she was being separated from her younger brother and determined to get back to him. Her efforts seemed to be wasted though, for her bearers merely threw her to the floor and returned to the examination room.
Her initial thought was to examine a way to get back through to Genis, but one look at the door told her that it wasn't going to happen. There were no handles or controls on her side of the door and Raine resigned herself to waiting quietly, and running the information she had on this place through her mind in an attempt to find an escape.
It was a short while later when the woman with the baby, now devoid of the infant that could still be heard screaming in the other room joined her, but she merely sat where she was left, rocking back an forth slightly and it was clear that she was in shock from the loss of her baby. Raine was fairly willing to bet she'd never see the child again.
Screams pierced the walls and Raine flinched, recognising the voice as that of the teenage girl. Instead of her being dragged into the room she and the woman were in however, the guards carried her into a room branching off to the left.
The process was repeated four more times, screaming and then sorting: the young girl, taken in the same direction as the teenager, a man about the same age as Raine, taken to the right, the black haired young man and finally Genis.
And as Raine saw him standing there, in the clutches of those men, she suddenly understood the rocking woman.
For 11 years she had looked after him, her only family, her precious brother for whom she would give anything to protect. For the first time in her life that she could remember, she launched into a full panic, realising that they were about to be separated and they may never see each other again.
With a desperate cry of her brother's name, Raine launched herself towards the guards, determined to keep him safe from them above all else.
The men watched, half-amused, half-wary of the half-elven woman marching towards them, eerily cool and calm in a massive contrast to the scream she had uttered only moments ago.
Steadily, in measured steps, she strode towards them, stood and reached to kiss her brother's forehead in what seemed like a farewell gesture…
Before bursting into an explosion of movement, foot flying out to kick a man in the stomach, hands balled into fists as she turned to slam a clenched hand into another's face, freeing her brother.
There were hands on her arms and wrists, pulling her away, but she barely registered them, still fighting, her protective nature enflamed, driving her to struggle for his sake.
She didn't notice she was being dragged into a new room until she saw the door frame as she was pulled through it.
"Raine!" his voice stopped her dead. There was no fear or worry in that voice that seemed bizarrely deep for the little boy she remembered raising…but he wasn't a little boy anymore.
"Raine, I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Just don't get in trouble yourself, k?"
And with those parting words, the doors slammed shut.
She felt numb. Or rather, she didn't, she didn't feel anything, her emotions dragged away along with her brother. She had lost him…she had failed to protect him.
Slumping, Raine fell to the floor from those rough restraining hands and everything rushed by her, unnoticed. There was a dim sensation of pain in her right shoulder blade, a smell of singeing flesh, a thousand needle pricks in her wrist. She was stripped to her undergarments, she knew that much, but there was no shame, humiliation or outrage as she was undressed and ordered to change into grey rags…not even when a cold, metal collar was snapped shut around her neck or when she saw the identification number tattooed on her wrist.
Nothing.
Guided through long, winding corridors filled with cages and prisons, bars, wires, electric fences, a thousand and one other half-elven women, all thin, weak, beaten. It passed her by without grabbing her attention.
A hand on her shoulder stopped her, metal clinked by her ear and she was guided somewhere new, sat down and left.
In a dank cell, far beneath the surface of the earth, separated from all the people she loved, Raine slumped on the bed.
Alone.
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