Here is the next Chapter.

Day 1701

Lucas rocked himself back and forth as he sat on the floor. His hands pulling at his hair. His body trembled as he suppress the desire to scream at the top of his lungs. There was a reason why humans needed interactions with another. Long periods of time alone could drive you to the edge of sanity. Lucas found himself balancing on that edge. He had lost all perspective of time. He could been in solitude for days, weeks, or even months. He could never be sure.

Lucas almost broke down in tears of joy when he heard the door open and two guards walked towards him. He willing surrendered himself as they forced his hands behind his back and tightly tied them with rope before leading him out of the small cell.

He almost didn't recognized the woman already kneeling on the floor as he was shoved into the room. Her hands were tied behind her. She was leaning forward, head hang as if in prayer. Her hair, that had grown back, fell around her face. Her clothes hung loosely on her quivering body. The guards forced him to his knees a few feet away from her.

"Olive?" his whispered but there was no reply. He said her name a second time, a little louder. Nothing.

"Happy New Year!" The prisoners both looked up at the new voice in the room. The Russian couldn't be much older then thirty years old. His dark hair was slicked back with gel. The man paced the room with his hands behind his back.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Oleg Darshavin. I am the master of this place and I will be treated with respect." He walked over to Olive and roughly grabbed her chin and pulled it up towards him. "Look at me!" He spat as his grip tighten on her jaw. Her eyes slowly met his. "You will look at me when I am talking. You will speak only when told to do so." He let go of her and walked over to Lucas who already decided to look up at him. "You will obey my every command." He continued to pace the room around the two prisoners. "If you look, breath, talk, or move in a way that displeases me. You will be punished. If you lie to me. You will will be punished. If there is as much as one hair out place. You will be punished. Obey me and you will be rewarded."

"I have been told that the two of you have been proven defiant. Unwilling to cooperate" He stopped and looked down at Olive. "This is habit that will soon be broken."

"Now, we will see how well you listen." Oleg took his stance to face both of them. "Stand up and turn around, face the wall." They both did. "Step into your square." Lucas looked down and saw a small red square in front of him. Olive had one as well. They both took a few steps forward so their bare feet were together inside the square, leaving less then a centimetre to the inside of the red line. "If so much as a toe nail crosses that line, there will be punishment. When I return and are you are still standing, you will be rewarded." With that, the man turned on the heels and marched out of the room leaving them alone. Lucas looked over his shoulder and saw a guard who took watch sitting on a chair by the door.

Hours slowly passed by while two spies stood still in their spots, their eyes focusing on the wall in front of them. The muscles throughout their legs began to throb from teetering back and forth. Knees felt like they could buckle under at any minutes. Lucas took deep breaths and tried to focus on anything but the pain shooting up his body. He could hear several guards gathered in the room complaining that they had to work New Years Day. They hurled insults towards the prisoners to make themselves feel better. Lucas looked to his left and saw Olive's trembling body, her eyes squeezed shut as she fought through her own anguish.

Lucas' heart stopped as he watch Olive stubble forward, her knees gave in hitting the solid floor before she toppled over. It took all his will power not to step forward to her aid, there was nothing he could do anyway. Instantly, two of the guards rushed to her pulling her up by grabbing a handful of hair. They reached for the hook hanging from the ceiling and scooped her bound wrist in the curve of the hook. "Please don't" She pleaded as they pulled the chain back as her arms started raising towards the ceiling causing her shoulder to be wrenched back in an extremely painful position. She leaned forward trying relieve some of the discomfort that racked her body as she suppressed her sobs. The guards causally walked back to their station and continue to chat among themselves.

Lucas stared at the wall once more, surprised that he wished he was back in isolation were he could actually move his muscles. Laughing to himself about the ridiculous situation he was in. He never thought that standing still in the same spot would be considered torture. He was very wrong.

"Excellent. Looks like I won't be dinning alone." his voice caused Lucas skin to crawl. "Lucas, come and join me."

Hesitantly, Lucas turned around worried that his tired muscle would fail him and he would tumble walking over Oleg, who was already sitting down at the table as a woman placed a pot on the table along with three table settings. Thankfully a guard was by his side and roughly help him to the table, undoing his tied before going back to his post. Lucas sat down and let out a sigh of relief before he made eye contact with his new captor.

"This is Shchi," Oleg began ladling out the hot soup into a bowl and placing it in front of Lucas. "it is my favourite meal. One of our most common dishes. Have you ever had it before?" He ask revealing the gap between his teeth.

"I have." Lucas said quietly with a half smile. "My wife has made it for me many times."

"Very well then. Try and tell me how it compares." Oleg said as he eats a spoonful.

Lucas tentatively lift up the spoon from the bowl and eats. It has been the first meal with flavour that he has had in a long time. The familiar taste made him long for his wife even more then before.

"So? What do you think?" Oleg asks.

"Very good. Thank you." Lucas replied before having another spoon. Remembering that Olive was still in the room, he looked to his right and saw her still hanging as he saw her muscles contracted in pain.

"You will look at me, not at her." He snapped. Lucas quickly looked back.

"Now, I was hoping we could use this time to get to know each other. Since we will be spending some time together. You have a wife. Russian?" the man asked.

"Yes." Lucas replied.

"Where did you two meet?" Oleg asked as he pour tumblers with some vodka offering one to Lucas.

We umm…Thank you." He accepted the drink."We met…she was waitress at a local joint near my home. She was trying to pay off her student loans. She worked as a teacher during the day. She didn't have time to go out with me have the two jobs, so I continued to go to the restaurant every night until she had time." Lucas smiled sheepishly at the memory.

"Ah, a true romantic." Oleg smile as he took a sip of his vodka. "You will look at me!" Oleg pounded the table as he caught Lucas looking over at Olive. Lucas jumped. "Do you wish to join her? It can be arranged."

"No. I just…" Lucas stopped himself.

"You just what?" the Russian stood up and walked around to Lucas.

"I just…" Lucas voice was caught in his throat as he searched for the right words.

"You feel bad for her?" Oleg yanked on his hair making Lucas look up at him. "You want me to release her?" Lucas closed his eyes. "Look at me!" He yelled. "You have disappointed me, Lucas" Oleg dragged Lucas out of his seat by his hair and pulled him towards Olive. He forced the prisoner to his knees right in front of the woman. Oleg lifted up her chin so her eyes met her partners. "If I let her go, you need to take her place. Do you wish to do this?"

Lucas watch as silent tears left her eyes as she slightly shook her head. "Yes." He whispered.

"What was that? Speak up?" Oleg demanded.

"Yes. Let her go. I'll take her place." his voice shook.

"How noble." The Russian beckoned the guards.

They tied the prisoner back up and hoisted his arms behind his back so he matched Olive current position. Then they released the woman letting her drop to the ground in her weakness

"Have a good night, Lucas. Perhaps, you will learn how show some respect" Oleg followed the guards as they dragged her out of the room.