I'm a smidge late with this one but things have been…a little off for me these last few days. But, been to docs and apparently its nothing and it'll sort itself out. It just put me back a bit. Doesn't matter though! I got it done and here we go.
And I know I've been focusing on Cole these last few chapters, this one included…I wanted to give you guys a bit more insight into him and his life…before starting to really intertwine him into Lucian's story as you'll see very soon. :)
I'll stop babbling and let you read. Enjoy!
The Fifth Turtle
Chapter 51: Repercussions
He couldn't see anything, not even the dark green whip marks lashing across his thighs he knew were likely just a mere inch from his face.
Outside the thick, iron door keeping him locked within the small lightless room was a long, unlit silent hall; the silence broken only by the rhythmic drip of water leaking from the cracked pipe in the roof to the cold concrete floor below.
A shiver wracked through his frame, wrapping his arms further round his legs and drawing them closer to his chest before his body froze, eyes snapping open and slowly turning toward the sound of a steady clacking echoing down the hall.
Cole's body started to shake, his eyes widening, breath shortening, curling further in on himself while the sounds grew louder to his confined quarters.
When he'd returned the other night and, as requested, reported in to his master, he had found himself unable to hide anything, everything that he had done that night spilling out and each word had only caused Bishop's face to darken in anger that had bordered on downright fury. Bishop himself hadn't said a word, silently reaching into his drawer to pull out a small handheld remote and clicked a single button before walking straight past Cole into the hall. Cole though, found himself turning and following after his master, body acting of its own accord and a nervousness he hadn't experienced to curl within his stomach…growing in strength when they entered the elevator and travelled down to the lower floors…
…The floors were the screams echoed from.
Mutely he had followed his master through the halls that night, outward expression remaining neutral and gaze locked on Bishops back, curiosity starting to show its head before it quickly retracted when they entered the plain white tiled room…two solid metal poles standing in the centre, each with a secure cuff attached to the top and two more on the floor a little behind it.
It was between these poles Cole had found himself kneeling between, each wrist and ankle locked into place…
…And then his punishment had been carried out. Yet…when Cole had woken on that smooth, icy cold concrete floor in the pitch black three by three room, he could not remember any of it. Despite not having the memory, the pain and fear remained. Every bit of his exposed skin strung while his muscles had screamed in protest at his every movement.
…He wasn't sure how long ago that was anymore…
Cole snapped out of his memory as the booted footsteps stopped right before the door was pushed open, the sudden light streaming in causing him to shield his eyes, squinting at the silhouette standing there.
Bishop's eyes narrowed at the blinking figure in the corner, hands clasped behind his back as usual while his eyes ran over Cole's body. As he had expected, most the bruises and marks from the regular whipping had already faded, the cuts from the barb wire and knives mere thin lines now while the burns littered across his exposed skin from where he had been electrocuted were barely visible. His eyes dropped to Cole's legs then back up to the amber eyes that was now meeting his, gaze even, hiding any other emotion he may be experiencing.
The smirk that replaced the frown on his face was all Cole needed to understand his punishment for been seen was over. Not dropping his gaze as he slowly stood from his original foetal position. Bishop's smirk slowly grew. He had shattered both of Cole's knee's prior to knocking him out and dumping his prone figure in this room and now, now his creation showed no sign of it, no sign of even knowing they had been broken in the first place. Stepping to the side, he allowed Cole to exit the room, wincing slightly at the bright lights above before covering it quickly, turning to Bishop.
"I assume you have learnt your lesson, Cole."
Cole silently nodded, drawing on every bit of focus he had to keep his body from shaking, struggling to control the fear that was writhing within his stomach. Outwardly he expressed nothing, merely bowing his head slightly to the man and asking in a low even tone,
"I have, Master. May I retire to my chambers for the night?" Bishop's smirk grew even colder as he nodded, watching Cole walk off down the hall without looking back once, exactly as he had been taught.
A low chuckle slipped from his thin lips the moment Cole was out of sight. It had all gone so perfectly! Cole been seen by a mere vigilante wasn't even a concern. The turtle had been unable to go against orders and unable to fight the body control he had activated to lead him down to the chamber that would be used for his punishments. Throughout the whole process, Cole had shown everything he had expected to see…
A resistance to pain. A steely resolve. An ability to adapt to the situation and…a stubborn determination to keep his fears hidden from others. His excessively quick healing had been even better than he had planned but the insurance that the chip embedded into Cole's very creation still held strong was what he had been after ever since Cole had woken. He had been concerned the slight hiccup that had occurred during the charging of Cole's molecular structure might have affected the whole process, would interrupt the chips functions. Thankfully it hadn't but, it would be monitored.
Bishop smiled coldly, turning on his heel and heading back down the hall.
And Cole was now aware of what would happen if he ever disobeyed a direct order again. By taking the memory away and leaving only the fear, he would leave what 'may' have happened during his punishment to Cole's imagination…
…All the while, steadily instilling a new fear he would use to control his creation even more.
TBC
So…what'd you think? Well I hope you liked it! I've started a new course by the way, an Editing and Proofreading one so that should really help me in my writing and in those I edit for ^_^ That's the goal anyway!
A massive shout out to everyone that has continue to follow this story, has continued to comment and support me. If you write, you'll understand just how appreciative I am of everyone. I would never have gotten to this point without you, so thank you…thank you so much.
And with that, I'll see you all next week with a new chapter!
Til then,
Lucian
