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September 8, 2057
Dear Raven,
Well, the past eight days have been the same. After the first man died, three days have been silent, but ever since then, men and women alike have been put into that metal chair. The same kinds of screams have been heard at different times of the night. Every since I witnessed the blonde-haired man about two weeks ago, I haven't looked out of my cell window. My room just fills up with the purple glow of dark eco as it seems to beacon me.
Today was different, though. There was no purple glow, my light didn't blow out as normal; instead, Baron Praxis came into my cell. Errol was instructed to stay outside of the door and shut him in with me. The Baron didn't look at me right away. I, of course, had my eye glued to him as I sat on the rusted bed and moved as far against the wall as I could. Only then did the Baron acknowledge me. I had my knees curled up to my chest, hiding my journal. Baron Praxis sat down and smiled.
"Good morning," he said. I couldn't answer. All I could do was stare. "Yes, I know. I may be intimidating, but I want to be your friend." 'Friend?' I repeated the word in my mind at least a dozen times. Only then did I smile back.
The Baron smiled again and looked down at, what looked like, a clipboard. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions, Dania?" I shook my head no. "Do you have any living relates?" I shook my head no. "What about your parents?" I hesitated, but shook my head no again. The Baron looked at the clipboard and then at me. "I'm sorry. I did not realize who your parents were. They were great guards. You should be proud." Baron Praxis hesitated, but soon stood up as he cleared his throat. "I will be back tomorrow, alright?" I slowly nodded my head in agreement. My cell door opened and closed. Then, Errol's and the Baron's footsteps faded into the silence that I am used to.
Is the Baron going to be my friend? Will he be the one to save me from this dark and musty cell? Time will only tell.
Dania
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September 9, 2057
Dear Raven,
The Baron came back as promised and he asked me more questions. He asked when my birthday was. Of course, I told him. I was actually becoming happier. Then, he asked me where I lived. I frowned and couldn't tell him, for I didn't know anymore. "It's alright," he said. "Where were you born? Do you remember?" I had to shake my head no again and I felt guilty. Baron Praxis could see this. "Don't feel guilty; some of the pris . . . people in here, don't even remember their parents, Dania. You are a very smart and beautiful young girl. Would you like to take a shower?"
'Shower?' I remember thinking. Baron Praxis got me excited at those words. My eyes widen and I looked at him as if he was crazy. Errol was standing outside of the cell and tried to argue against him. The Baron pushed past him held out his hand for me to join him. I hesitated, but took it. He, indeed, took me to a bathing place. There, I saw Dracea and her twin brother. I smiled, but she gave me a grave look and straightened into a salute for the Baron. I gave her a confused look and looked up to Baron Praxis.
"Commander, I want you to attend to this young lady. I will be back in a half hour." The Baron let go of my hand, turned, and walked away. The door shut and only then did Dracea break from her concentration to fall to her knees and embrace me.
For the half hour that I had with Dracea, she played with me. Her brother even joined the fun. Even though I am only fourteen, I felt as if I was five. A part of my life was missing and she filled the empty void just with that little time together. While we were playing, she did ask me questions. I didn't think about them and answered offhandedly. I trust Dracea and her brother because they are my friends.
Well, the Baron came back and I immediately stopped at what I was doing. He was hiding something behind his back and Errol followed in behind him with a smirk on his face. Dracea and her brother had long been standing at attention and stood as if statues. What the Baron did next was confusing. He walked over to me and squatted down. He treated me as a five year old and told me that I needed medicine and he was going to give it to me.
I looked at him and realized what he was saying. Errol, then, marched over and put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't move or you'll make it worse," he said. The Baron stood up and took the syringe from behind his back. He looked at the syringe, then at me and took my arm. As the needle went into my arm, I tried to look at the syringe to see what color the fluid was, but Errol put his hand over my eyes. Why didn't Dracea and her brother try to stop him? Why did they just stand at attention and show no emotion?
Well, the Baron was finished and Errol released me. I had no idea what was going on. I looked at Dracea and her brother as the Baron called them to relax. Dracea didn't have her helmet on and I saw a tear glisten down her cheek as I was pulled through the door frame.
I, then, did something stupid. I ripped my hand from the Baron's and stopped walking. Errol and the Baron stopped to turn around to look at me with innocent wonder. I asked him very angrily why he treated me to a shower and let the "commander" pay attention to me? He didn't answer; he just smiled as Errol walked behind me and pushed me to walk. I obliged; I was used to not getting answers, but I will get this one.
Dania
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September 12, 2057
Dear Raven,
The Baron wishes to be my friend, yet he injects something into me. I finally found out what it was. It was a sample of dark eco. They did it right in front of Dracea, too. This is unbelievable. Do they think that I am five years old and have no idea what is going on? Well, I do.
I found out that it was dark eco because of the strange occurrences I have had for the last three days, today being the third. The day after he injected me, I felt sick to my stomach. I thought that it was just the food, but something deeper in my soul told me that it wasn't just my stomach. All day, I lied around and tried to get better. I wanted to be presentable to the Baron. He did come, but he didn't come within my cell. He just peeked in, smiled, and walked away.
I fell asleep and woke up the next morning by the Baron. He was watching me from outside of my cell. "Good morning, Dania. It's time to wake up." I woke up, but I felt better. I didn't feel sick anymore. Instead, I felt light-headed and dizzy. I couldn't stand up. All I could do was sit up and that is how I greeted him yesterday.
Today, I had been awake and he came again, but this time, he came inside of my cell. "Now, now, Dania. You look better today, but you are still sick." I sighed and turned my head just for a moment and at that moment, the Baron injected more eco into me. This time, I saw the syringe. I saw the black ooze as it was being forced into my body.
It was different, though. I noticed my body turn a pale purple color, but just as I had noticed it, Baron Praxis took out the syringe and exited my cell. I looked at myself for the next few hours and ended up here. I knew this would come. I am the next dark eco experiment. Although, I wonder why they aren't putting me into the chair in the center of the prison?
Dania
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October 1, 2057
Dear Raven,
The past few weeks have been the same. Every three days, I get more dark eco injected into my body and everyday I feel as if I am going to die. Surprisingly enough, I don't. My body just reacts to it as if it is part of my everyday self. I just have a feeling that I am not the only that has been treated this way. There has to be another. That is just how the Baron is. He is the kind of man to make a plan B to a plan A, but who is it?
Dania
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October 3, 2057
Dear Raven,
"Dania, do you know how special you are?" the Baron asked me today during his daily visit. I replied with the answer, "no." "Well, you are going to be put into the metal chair and complete your treatment and if you survive, you will not have to live in this cell anymore." He completed his statement with I promise and that melted my heart. I am ready to get out of here just as everyone is, but I saw the chance and I went for it. I smiled in agreement and Baron Praxis led the way out of my cell and into the metal chair. I had to survive.
I looked around as Errol was putting the metal restrains on my wrists and ankles and I found a young man watching me to my left. It was the young man with the blue tunic on from months ago. I stared at him with curiosity and didn't notice the machine turn on.
At first, there was nothing. No pain, just a purple glow start to surround my body. Then, the pain began. I didn't know what to do; all I could do was scream. The pain entered through the top of my head and struck the bottom of my feet. At that moment in time, my body felt as if it was on fire. Pain became a part of me just as the dark eco had. My soul became stained and tainted as tears found their way onto my face.
I struggled to get free of the restraints, but I couldn't. I just wanted to be free, to get out of the prison, to die. I didn't notice the pain easing until I stopped struggling. I found myself weeping as I was being held down. The Baron was standing above me. He told me that he was very proud of me and that I was a good girl. In the back of my mind, I wanted to kill him for what he did to me.
Errol released my wrists and ankles as I sat up to see the blood line my skin. I had struggled that hard, that I didn't notice the rawness of the metal shackles. "You have three days to prepare yourself, Dania," the Baron told me as he shut me back in my cell. "Then, you will be free." Then, he walked away. Free? Free to kill you, maybe. I should play his game. I will gain revenge . . .
Dania
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October 4, 2057
Dear Raven,
I knew that I wasn't the only one being tested this way. I just happened to look out of my cell and saw the Baron go into a man's cell. He had the used syringe and Errol held a clipboard. What is going on?
Well, something strange happened. Four men came into my cell; two of them dragged my bed into the middle of the little room while the other two held me down. While I was struggling, I screamed and tried to get to my open cell door. There, I saw him; the one with the blue tunic. He was handcuffed and was being led by Baron Praxis and Errol. I watched him as two men pulled my shirt up to expose my abdomen. The young man looked into my cell just as the man holding my wrists covered my mouth. Tears glistened as my cell door was shut and I was confused beyond confused.
The next thing I can remember was the pain as two men seemed to be cutting my skin. In the process, I heard him scream. His screams were that of pain and anguish. I joined his screams just as a purple light glowed through my barred window. He was going through the dark eco experiment.
The next thing I know, I was lying on the rusty bed, alone in the darkness of night. I turned my light on and looked on my stomach and what I saw was unbelievable. I saw a series of pewter-gray markings on my abdomen that made no sense what-so-ever. I tried to scrub the markings off, but it didn't work. What is it? Why is this happening to me? Why am I so curious about the young man in the blue tunic?
Dania
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October 5, 2057
Dear Raven,
For the second night in a row, it happened. The four men came just to make more of those markings on me. This time they connected the markings on my abdomen to new ones on my back. The only difference was that of my screaming. My screaming full of pain was the only screaming going on in the fortress. He was still in his cell and I wouldn't have been able to see him anyways. My head was held to the fowl smelling pillow until I again blacked out.
Once again, I awake on this bed and found more pewter-gray markings on my back. These markings still didn't make sense to me, but they must have significance. Again, only time will tell.
I am worried about him. I wonder if he is dead. I really hope that he lived. Maybe, just maybe, I could try to communicate with him.
Dania
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October 6, 2057
Dear Raven,
Yesterday, after I wrote, Baron Praxis paid me a visit. He came into my cell with a smirk of triumph as he sat down on my bed. "You are doing well, Dania. As I promised, you will be getting out of here alive, but you will go through training," he said. I looked at him and then the clipboard that he was holding. "You will be trained to be an assassin, but if you decline, you will be killed right here." Now, I looked at him wide eyed. He told me that all I would have to do is sign the paper on the clipboard.
He handed me the clipboard and the contract. I needed to sign this paper. If I signed it, I would finally get my revenge. He gave me his pen and I signed it. He stood up and made me rise with him. He shook my hand and told me that he'll be back tomorrow to move me to my base. I am afraid that this will be the last time that I will be able to record anything.
I just want to tell however reads this that life isn't hard until you struggle. I WILL survive and gain my revenge . . .
Dania
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Feeling bitter, Dania finished reading the journal. This young girl – no, Dania, she realized was put through a lot. Though, she couldn't remember any of it. The memories where in this journal, but the memories were not in her mind. All Dania could do was think about what happened in her journal as if it was a story; a fictional story. Dania found herself wondering, but she couldn't focus. Her mind reverted unexpectedly to Jak.
Her anger grew as she remembered the look on his face just before he disappeared under the fallen stone ceiling. The regret; the pain; the sorrow. Was finding a way out more important than she? Why was he followed? What goes on in his mind, anyways? The last thing Dania remembered was telling herself that she hated Jak's action and that she will gain her revenge before her mind jumped again.
'Revenge . . .' Dania found herself thinking as she slowly looked at the metal prison door. The word seemed alien to her, but it was also familiar in a way. 'Who is Praxis? What was he the Baron of? Why do I crave his death and revenge?' She found herself thinking. Suddenly, Dania's eyes slid up the metal door to the barred window. That window was in her dream even before she thought about finding the journal.
Scrambling to get to her feet, Dania hears the rusty springs in the mattress squeal as she pushes herself off the bed. She remembers the one journal entry that mentioned the metal chair in the center of a metal room. She could feel the excitement surface. What she saw stunned her unexpectedly, as she walked to the window and looked out.
The excitement couldn't be controlled inside Dania's body as she subconsciously hid the book. Shock couldn't be controlled either. The journal felt fiction to her, but it sparked a memory. She felt that she was getting closer to what she wanted – her memory. The picture of what she saw was perfectly described in the little black book that was now encased to her arm.
In the middle of the room was a chair; a metal chair with metal restraints. Dania could see Jak walking to the chair, but she wasn't interested in what he was doing. She was interested in the eco treatment being turned on. The apparition of a young blonde man stared at her as it faded away. The apparition disappears almost as it had appeared as the metal door was being slid back into the metal wall.
Jak stood on the other side as the door fully opened. He must have ran because Dania couldn't remember seeing him run back across the thin walk to the middle of the room. Dania stood for a second, just staring at nothing. She realized that she was free and Jak had her gun. It seemed that it was out of nowhere when she walked over to him and literally snatched her gun from his grip. Jak didn't say anything; he probably saw the hurt and pain in her eyes as she slipped the gun into its leather casing. Dania stopped and crossed her arms, waiting for something to happen.
"Well, that's a fine hello," Daxter states rudely from Jak's shoulder.
"Excuse me? I wasn't the one abandoned and left to get killed," Dania, full of anger, disgust, and confusion, rages back. "Get me out of here, Jak."