Chapter Eleven: Finding the Weakness

"Enough!"

Akunin's voice, commanding and clear, sounded across the emptiness of the chamber and cut through the desperate struggle between captor and captive. Instinctively Carter turned his head towards the sound of his boss, before at last relinquishing his hold on Oliver's mouth and nose. He took a step away from his victim, a mixture of frustration and anger on his face; Akunin's arrival had cheated him of the victory he so wanted over Oliver, and he could barely conceal his rage at being denied his moment of triumph. He stood motionless as Akunin approached the cage, her heels echoing around the chamber and combining with the sounds of Oliver's labored breathing as he tried to recover from the attack.

At last Akunin stepped inside the cage, glancing up at Oliver's shackled body before fixing Carter with a steely glare.

"My orders were quite clear, Mr Carter – on no account was Mr Queen to be harmed. Exactly what part of that did you not understand?"

Carter appeared to wither under Akunin's gaze, his defiance melting away. He now appeared little more than an overgrown schoolboy, awkward and embarrassed at having been found out by one of his teachers.

"He needed to be taught a lesson. I thought..."

"You didn't think, did you, Mr Carter?" interrupted Akunin. "What if you had killed him? Denied Mr Luthor his sport? You are not paid to think – you're paid to obey. Now get out."

Akunin turned away from Carter, signalling that she had no more use for him. Carter paused for a moment, taking one last look at his hapless victim before striding from the cage and making towards the exit to the chamber.

Akunin stared up at Oliver, whose head hung forward on to his chest. The young man's breathing was heavy, and Akunin could see his chest rising and falling, the sweat on his pectoral muscles glistening under the harsh electric light. Despite all the sessions in the torture room, all the abuse that Carter had heaped upon him, he was still a remarkable specimen, the very picture of physical perfection. For Akunin, he represented something new, something different. She had always taken pride in her work, enjoyed the thrill of taking her victims apart, but Oliver had produced in her something novel, something unique. His physical beauty, his defiance, his apparent invulnerability, all these things fascinated her, captivated her. She wanted to break him, yes, but she also wanted to possess him, in mind, in body, and in spirit. He would be her greatest challenge, but also her greatest triumph.

And now she knew how she would achieve that triumph.

For days she had observed him, searching for any sign of weakness, some opening that would allow her to get inside his head and destroy him from within. But there had been none. Yes, he had screamed during the sessions with Dr Thomas, the physical torment producing cries of such intensity that they seemed to come from somewhere beyond the realms of normal human experience. Thomas was a skilled practitioner, and he was certainly giving Lex what he wanted; Akunin herself had to admit that she had thrilled to see Oliver subjected to such agonies, his physical strength rendered useless in the face of the restraints that bound him to the table and the doctor's vicious needles. But it was not what she was looking for, not the weakness that she sought. Even when the treatments were at their worst, Akunin could sense that inside the young man remained strong; he had succeeded in putting up some sort of mental shield around himself, and behind that shield he remained in control, drawing strength from some hidden reserve of mental power. She needed to get behind that shield, to pierce his defences, but for days the means to that end had remained elusive.

Until now, of course. Akunin's lips curled into a smile as she looked down at the crumpled piece of paper that now lay on the ground in front of Oliver, the remains of the picture of Chloe that he had kept hidden for so long. She had watched the entirety of Carter's confrontation with Oliver on a monitor in a nearby control room, fascination turning into revelation as she realised the full significance of what she had witnessed. She had seen the desperation in Oliver's eyes when Carter had seized the picture, a look that told her the truth about Oliver Queen's relationship with Chloe Sullivan. The billionaire playboy was in love, that was all too clear, and it was that love which was sustaining him – Akunin was sure of it. She had found his weakness, and she could not help but thrill at the plan she had to exploit it, a plan that would not only rob him of his last hope of redemption, but also allow her to fulfil the fantasy that had taken hold of her mind ever since she had first laid eyes on the man beneath the hood of the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen.

"I must apologise for Mr Carter's behaviour, Oliver. His methods sometimes... well, sometimes they lack the finesse that I look for in my employees."

"Yeah? You just can't get sadistic apes like you used to, I guess." Oliver lifted his head as he replied to Akunin. His voice was weak, but his eyes still sparkled with the life-force that Akunin was determined to take from him.

Akunin smiled, before taking a couple of steps that brought her to within a few inches of Oliver's suspended form.

"I think you owe me a great deal, Oliver," she purred, her mouth hovering just to the left of Oliver's ear. "Another minute and my friend Mr Carter would have sliced you open, and all that beautiful skin would have been ruined forever." As she spoke she placed her right hand on Oliver's chest, allowing it to roam over the smooth, warm expanse of his muscles. Oliver flinched at her touch, a reminder that whilst the immediate danger of Carter's violence had passed, he was now in the presence of someone far more dangerous, and far more intelligent.

"Don't worry," whispered Akunin, sensing the tension in Oliver's muscles as her hand slipped down towards his exposed abdominals. "Carter's gone now – it's just us, all alone. And I'll never let anyone damage this handsome body of yours – you have my word."

Oliver did not respond. He could sense Akunin's warm breath on his face, feel her excitement as she explored his defenceless frame. This was building to something, he could feel it – but he didn't know what.

"You miss her, don't you? Your little journalist friend. Oliver Queen and Chloe Sullivan, the fairy tale come true. It must be hard, to find the love of your life, and then to lose her – so hard, so very hard." Akunin's voice was barely audible as she whispered into Oliver's ear, but the impact of her words was immediate. Oliver knew instantly that she had seen the confrontation with Carter, that she knew about the picture. His gut turned over as he thought what this might mean – both for himself, and for Chloe.

"And here you are, a prisoner with no hope of escape, facing....what? Months of captivity? Years? Who knows how long it will be before Lex loses interest and finally decides to put a bullet through that pretty little head of yours. Such a long time to survive without the love of your life....how will you do it, Oliver? How will you survive without Chloe Sullivan to keep you warm at night?"

Summoning up some reserves of energy, Oliver suddenly struggled against the chains that held him, forcing Akunin to take a step back.

"You stay away from her, do you hear me? She's got nothing to do with this...nothing."

Again Akunin smiled. Oliver's outburst had confirmed her suspicions – she had found her weakness.

"Ssshhhhh, Oliver," said Akunin, playfully holding two fingers against Oliver's lips. "You don't understand. I have no interest in Chloe Sullivan, no interest at all. But I am interested in you, Oliver – very interested indeed. I want to make your stay here as pleasurable as it can possibly be. You are missing your Chloe, and I can't do anything about that. But I can do something.....something to make your stay here a little less.....how can I put this? A little less lonely."

As Oliver tried to take in the full meaning of what he had just heard, Akunin withdrew her hand from Oliver's lips and reached into a pouch that she wore on her belt.

"What do you mean? What are you going to...." Oliver's words were smothered as suddenly Akunin pressed a white pad against his face, covering his nostrils and mouth. His eyes widened as he smelt the unmistakable aroma of chloroform.

Oliver struggled to escape the noxious fumes, but Akunin held his head firmly using her free hand so that there was no escape. Physically drained already, he rapidly succumbed to the effects of the chemical.

"That's right, Oliver, you go to sleep now," said Akunin as she watched Oliver's eyelids flicker, and then fall shut. "Soon you'll be mine, and I want you well rested for what I've got in store for you, my handsome hero."

Sorry this chapter is short, but I've not had much time for writing this week. Instead of making you wait another week, I'm writing this phase of the story in two parts - second installment next week.

Thanks for reading. Please do let me know what you think by posting a quick review. Even short ones are massively appreciated; it's great to get feedback, and without them it can sometimes be hard to write in what feels like a vacuum.