(A/N). Hello everyone. And welcome back to my Prisoner fan fic. Apologies for the lengthy delay since the last update. I'll try and get an update up each month from now on.
Anyway, enough chatter from me. On with the chapter!
"Rise and shine! Rise and shine!"
These words, echoing from the voice of the radio, stung at Number Six, as he weakly opened his eyes and blinked... Looking directly up at the turned off light hanging above his bed, the Prisoner continued to blink rapidly... After a few moments had passed, he slowly rolled on to his side before crawling down to the floor, feeling too weak to stand.
Trembling like a leaf, Number Six observed that he was still wearing his clothes instead of his pyjamas. And just like that it struck him. It all came flooding back. Charlotte, her father, the chase through the woods, his intense kiss with Number Two, and finally his wild confrontation with Number Seventeen. Scrambling to his feet, he staggered forward towards the living room, looking for any signs of the intense struggle, but none could be found. He wasn't surprised at this. Clearly, Gwen's minions didn't want to leave any evidence... Despite feeling weak, oh so weak...Number Six resolved to march onward. Pushing all rampant, distressing and unruly thoughts from his mind, Number Six focused on just one thing, on just one person... "Charlotte." Her name hanging on his lips, he mumbled the name over and over again, as he struggled down the steps and towards the front door. This time it did not swing open for him, and he was forced to yank it open by hand. Sure that this was not to be the only obstruction standing between himself and the young woman, Number Six gritted his teeth in mild anger.
Shielding his eyes from the blinding sunlight, Number Six again blinked rapidly, the sun almost driving him back inside the cottage as though he was a vampire, its rays burning into him... Soldiering on as always, Number Six slammed the door shut behind him, before stalking away from his home.
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"Yes, sir." Number Two shrank back into her globe shaped chair, the large, curved red phone in her right hand... "No more mistakes, I guarantee it." Lowering the phone and placing it on the desk in front of her, Gwen cast her gaze downward, the look on her face troubled.
Looking at her with a steely, yet ever so slightly troubled expression, Number Five quietly cleared her throat.
Suddenly reminded of her presence, Number Two looked to her left and briefly met the other woman's gaze before looking away again...
Not wishing to question her superior on this if she didn't wish to talk about it, Number Five took Number Two's silence to mean just that, before slowly walking away from the desk and towards the ramp leading up to the steel doors... Number Five was just about to make her departure when Gwen suddenly found her voice.
"We are to proceed to the final phase," Number Two stated calmly...
Slightly shocked by this, Number Five slowly turned around to face Number Two... "And if it breaks him?"
"Isn't that the aim of all this." Number Two practically growled the words.
"Well, that all depends on your point of view, I suppose."
"I know of my failings, Number Five." Once more, Number Two looked to the floor... "And I realise that I am to blame for...hastening all this." Letting out a deep breath, she looked back up. "Nevertheless, we are where we are... We strike now." Gently motioning her head towards the red phone which had issued that command, Gwen then motioned for Number Five to leave. "Make the preperations."
"Yes, Number Two." Letting out a barely audible sigh, the young woman turned back around and made her exit.
Thoughts of him racing through her already troubled mind, Number Two leaned back in her seat before covering her face with her hands...
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The sound of drumming fingers. That's all Number Six could hear. Drumming fingers... His own fingers, to be precise.
Hiding in some bushes a few hundred yards away from the hospital, Number Six was crouched down, his fingers drumming against his knees. He'd been observing the hospital for almost ten minutes now, wondering if he should enter. Such feelings of nerves and unease were strange to him. Ordinarly, once he'd made up his mind, no one could stop him from acting. But now, as in so many ways...he felt changed... Angry at his lack of resolve, and acting on pure memory of his old self alone, Number Six suddenly got to his feet and exited the bushes, striding across the grass towards the hospital, thoughts of Charlotte and her father the only ones in the forefront of his mind. No longer questioning or caring about what had happened the previous night with Number Seventeen, the Prisoner continued on... As he closed in on the hospital, a voice spoke up from a passing Mini Moke, as it drove up towards the hospital entrance.
"Ah, there you are." The car came to a stop and Number Five looked towards him, her usual air of seduction having been replaced with one of concern, as she quickly climbed out of the vehicle. "Are you alright?"
Carefully looking at the parked car, Number Six couldn't help but smirk. "Since when did maids have sole access to one of those?" An icy, but dull, tired look filled his eyes.
"Well, you probably won't believe this...but I stole it." She smiled coyly. "I was so upset when I found you missing this morning that I...I just had to look for you." She shrugged.
"You're right." Number Six turned back towards the hospital. "I don't believe it."
As Number Six headed into the hospital, Number Five merely shook her head in dismay before slowly following after him.
On entering the hospital, Number Six instantly felt eyes on him from all corners of the room and beyond. It lasted only for a brief moment, before everyone, nurses and patients alike went back to their own business... Approaching a young, blonde haired nurse, Number Six gently inquired. "I'm...looking for a friend."
"Really?" The woman smiled back at him, a playful, seductive gleam in her eye (or perhaps that was just within his imagination).
"Er...yes, I'm looking for-"
"Number Seventy," Number Five interjected, as she walked up behind Number Six. "And his daughter as well, no doubt."
Number Six glared softly over his shoulder towards her, before then looking back to the nurse.
"Oh." The expression on the nurse's face changed. "I'm um...well-"
"What?" Number Six's tone grew impatient.
"Well, I don't know how to tell you this, but...I'm afraid he passed away. Last night."
"What?" Number Six winced slightly, the room suddenly beginning to shake... Feeling unsteady, he took a few steps forward and passed the nurse.
"A-are you alright?" The nurse followed after him, trying to steady him as he continued to stumble forward.
"Charlotte, Charlotte," Number Six murmured her name. His head spinning, Number Six felt himself swaying backwards and forwards... And then he saw it. A body being wheeled down a corridor in the distance. His vision suddenly clearing, Number Six stalked forward numbly, bursting open two sets of doors before reaching the corridor.
"You can't be here!" an orderly shouted at him, but Number Six pushed him aside.
On reaching the body, the two men that were wheeling the trolley stopped and stared at Number Six, their eyes seemingly emitting bright lights that almost blinded the Prisoner.
Pulling aside the sheet that was covering the body, Number Six looked down at Number Seventy's cold, dead face...
The world spinning around him once more, Number Six felt himself tumbling backwards and hitting the floor... The last thing he saw was a glowing light pulsating above him, before darkness then claimed him...
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Blackness. Total and utter blackness... That was what greeted Number Six upon opening his eyes.
He lay still for a minute, enjoying the silence of the moment... Oh, but what a strange moment it was. He felt...disconnected. He felt...free. Here, in this black void he did feel free. He felt detached from the Village, from his new, sexually awakened self, from Number Two, his old life, his new life, from everything... Is this what death would feel like? Was he dead? At this point, that idea seemed more like a fervent dream than a nightmare... And yet, in his heart, in his spirit, a small spark flickered, as he recalled seeing Number Seventy's pale, lifeless face. This spark lit a flame, which led to unrest, and then finally to anger... He was just about to sit up when...
"Ah, you're awake," a male voice said, as a nearby door opened, light suddenly illuminating the room, as the man flicked a nearby switch.
Blinking weakly, Number Six quickly sat up in the bed and looked straight at the doctor standing by the open door.
"How are you feeling, my dear fellow?" the man spoke in a foreign sounding accent.
Number Six didn't respond.
Looking at him with caution, the doctor took a few steps forward towards the bed.
Looking down and observing the pyjamas he was now wearing, Number Six suddenly cast aside the blankets before climbing out of the bed.
"Now, now, I think you need to rest."
"I think I need to leave." Number Six marched over to a nearby cupboard to retreive his clothes that were hanging inside.
"But the shock of seeing your friend has-"
"I'm leaving," Number Six stated in a calm tone of voice. "With or without your approval."
"Very well. After all...you're not a prisoner here."
Number Six's cold gaze turned towards the older man.
His eyes expressing mild concern, the doctor took his leave and swiftly exited the room...
Dragging his clothes from the cupboard, Number Six looked to the nearby window, observing the dark skies (clearly, he had been out of it for many hours). Feeling a need to hurry, the Prisoner quickly began to change.
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Staring at the crashing waves on the shoreline, Charlotte exhaled deeply.
Curfew time had been and gone, yet still she remained. Everything felt so...unreal. For the first time in quite a while, she felt as though she was trapped in a nightmare. No longer could she cling to thoughts of justice, of the greater good. Now...everything felt so dark. It was as though all hope and light had been extinguished at once... But it was too late to fight against anything now. Her course had been set, and she had to remain steadfast to the path that was laid out before her...
Numb and oblivious to the cold wind circling her, Charlotte slowly sat down on the beach, her gaze still looking out to sea... Finally, though, her trance was broken by the sound of a man's voice behind her... Indeed, the time had come.
"So here you are."
Instantly recognising the man's voice, Charlotte's eyes widened, before she quickly got back to her feet and spun around... "S-Seventeen?"
"Yes, dearie." Still displaying signs of his injuries following his fight with Number Six, Number Seventeen stood there, slightly bent over, a mad gleam in his eye. "I've come to say goodbye."
"W-what are you talking about?"
"I'm escaping." He revealed almost nonchalantly before continuing... "I'm escaping in the only way I know how." His eyes widening even more, Seventeen used his right hand to make a cutting of the throat gesture... "And I'm taking you with me."
Now it was Charlotte's turn for her eyes to widen, this time in fear... "No."
With a small shake of his head, the enraged, insane man began to advance towards her...
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Walking determinedly through the Village, Number Six's steps thundered with every stride he took.
The air was cold, the streets were deserted, and a chilling, howling wind filled the air. And the worst part of all was that his own feelings were mirroring the very elements themselves, for he did feel so cold, so alone, and as if his inner, screaming, howling voice was about to burst forth from his lips. His mind was racing. From Number Seventy to Number Seventeen, from Charlotte to Gwen, and then all the way back to his new, frustrated, sexually awakened self. It was as though every waking thought he had now was a struggle, a struggle to contain this wild beast within him, a struggle just to seek out his true self... His own little cottage, which once was a small (relatively) safe heaven, now filled him with dread upon thinking of it. The emptiness of it and the small space filled him with such great fear. He needed to be outside, he needed to be...free.
Coming to a stop, Number Six looked down towards the beach, looking towards the sea, searching for something, anything on the horizon that existed independant of this mad, mad, mad, mad world that he was trapped in...
His gaze once again becoming blurry, the Prisoner found himself rocking forward and back. Once more, he felt on the verge of collapse... Staggering a step or two backwards, Number Six clutched his temples...and that was when he heard it. A scream. A woman's scream... A scream so loud, so ferocious that it echoed and howled on the wind for what felt like an eternity.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Snapping back to reality, Number Six looked down to the beach before racing forward...
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Horror mixed with relief. That was how Number Six felt...as he looked down upon the dead body of Number Seventeen, his throat having been sliced open... Lifting his gaze, Number Six looked at the clearly traumatised Charlotte, the bloody knife in her hand.
Her hand trembling, Charlotte dropped the knife to the ground before backing away in horror, her right cheek bleeding... "I...I-" she began to speak but failed to voice the words.
Remembering his promise to her father to protect her, and his feelings for her burning stronger than ever, Number Six step forward and embraced her.
"I didn't-"
"Shh." Stroking her hair tenderly, Number Six guided her away from Seventeen's dead body and towards the nearby rocks.
Tears stinging at her eyes, Charlotte shook her head in disbelief. "He...he attacked me and...and he had that knife." She motioned towards it with her outstretched hand. "He hit me and...and said he was going to kill me." Again, tears threatened to overwhelm her.
"He's not worth your tears," Number Six remarked coldly.
"They're...they're not for him." Charlotte slowly pulled away from Number Six and looked away. "My father...he's-"
"I know." Number Six sighed. "I've been to the hospital."
"Then you know." Suddenly relaxing, Charlotte's face became stoic. It was as though she suddenly accepted her fate. "It doesn't matter anymore." She looked once more to Number Seventeen's body. "My life is over, anyway... It won't be long before they come for me."
Observing their exact surroundings on the beach, Number Six hurried towards the body.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Buying us some time." Number Six began to drag the body towards the nearby rocks and the cave just beyond them.
"But it's too late they'll-"
"If they knew what had happened they'd be here already," Number Six stated simply. "Besides, I've been here before. They don't have any surveillence here." As he dragged the body into the caves, Number Six suddenly felt a sting of deja vu, as he recalled hiding a body here in these caves once before, back when he was a new arrival in the Village...
"But they'll-"
"No arguments," Number Six said from inside the cave entrance. "Fetch me the knife."
Reacting quickly, Charlotte picked the knife up and followed him inside the cave.
"Once we've attended to this matter we'll go back to my cottage," the Prisoner stated these words in an authoritive tone. "And I promise you...no one will ever hurt you again, Charlotte." His eyes met hers for a brief moment, before Number Six looked away again, as he dragged the body deeper inside the cave...
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Meanwhile, in the green dome, pacing back and forth, Number Two looked towards the huge screen, which was showing a bird's eye view of the Village, as she searched for Number Six and Charlotte.
Knowing that the stakes were so high now, Number Two felt physically sick. She felt as if she was about to expire from a combination of fear, anxiousness and, strangely enough, guilt...
Sitting back down in her globe shaped chair, Gwen leaned forward and pressed a button on the desk before her, switching the view on the screen to the exterior of Number Six's cottage... Gazing upon the image for several, thoughtful moments, Number Two turned her chair away from the screen and looked to the penny farthing at the back of the room, her mind searching for something, anything that could perhaps change the course of events that were about to play out. But being able to do that while keeping her own head in the process would be a difficult challenge.
Suddenly, a beeping sound filled the quiet air.
Looking towards the nearby yellow phone with trepidation, Gwen slowly turned towards it, got to her feet and answered it.
"Number Two?" the voice of the supervisor spoke.
"Yes?"
"They've arrived."
Unable to look at the screen, Number Two slowly stepped towards the desk and pressed a button, which caused the screen to turn off...
"Number Two?" The supervisor searched for an acknowledgment.
"I see." She sighed heavily... "Thank you." Feeling that there was nothing more to be said, Gwen put the phone back down on the desk before almost collapsing back into her chair, her hands beginning to shake...
A solemn, yet determined expression washing over her face, Gwen looked towards the steel doors in front of her...before suddenly rising to her feet and walking slowly towards them.
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In Number Six's cottage, the Prisoner carefully closed the balcony doors behind him, whilst Charlotte observed the darkened room.
"Are you sure they won't know that I'm here?" she gently inquired.
"That depends on if they're watching us now." Number Six replied before quietly adding under his breath. "Or if they even care." He suddenly wondered if this sort of scene was something his many observers had longed to see (or at least from the moment the coupling programme had been introduced), he and a beautiful young woman, alone right here in his darkened cottage.
"What happens now, I don't-" Charlotte walked towards the fireplace and stared blankly down towards the floor. "I feel as if...these are to be my last few, fateful hours on this mortal coil... I was only ever brought here because of my father. Now he's gone and...and Seventeen is-" Overwhelmed, Charlotte closed her eyes tight and shook her head, as though defiantly and outright refusing to give in to tears
Feeling an overwhelming need to comfort her, Number Six stepped forward and took her into his arms. In his mind he insisted to himself that this act was purely altruistic...but in his heart he believed that he just wanted to feel her close to him, as he leaned into her just as much as she leaned into him...
Pulling away slightly, Charlotte looked into his eyes... Slowly, she edged her face closer towards his.
A magnetic force pulling them together, Number Six's eyes became locked on her lips, his body trembling with anticipation... Their lips were just about to meet, when Number Six suddenly dragged himself away from her, before prowling away and up the nearby steps towards the kitchen area, his feet thundering with anger towards himself and this desperate, horrible need for sexual intimacy that was overwhelming him once more.
Looking into the fireplace for a moment, Charlotte thought quietly... Eventually, she found her voice. "Why are you so afraid?"
Number Six was staring at the kitchen cabinets, terrified at the mere sound of her voice in this moment.
"I...I feel as though I've lost everything." Trudging up the steps towards him, Charlotte emitted a small sigh on seeing that he was facing away from her. "I don't believe that there's any hope left for us. I think we're doomed to die in this place...and I think you agree... I think you play the part of rebel because it's all you know anymore. But there's nothing right or true in...rebelling against yourself."
Those very same words might as well have been spoken by Number Two herself. This alone made him feel more...secure in a weird sort of way... Perhaps, in this instance, there was no fight to be had. Only a fight with himself, of his own creation and making...
"You're indestructible, do you know that?" Her voice was filled with awe... "Why should you fear anything? Least of all me."
"Not you," Number Six responded weakly, as though sapped of all resolve and energy... "Myself." He slowly turned around to face her.
"You're an individual." Charlotte smiled slightly. "My father didn't admire many men. It took a lot for him to look up to anyone. He was so sure of himself and his own thoughts and beliefs." At the memory of him, she looked down slightly, her smile widening for a brief moment before it faded away altogether, as though a stinging reality had suddenly struck her... "It cost him his life in the end, but...for him to admire you means that...that you truly are a great man."
"I've held onto my sense of self for so long that...I don't even know what that is anymore." This admission hit Number Six deeply as he spoke the words, but nevertheless he continued. "I'm fighting for belief in individuality, but...right now...I'm not even sure what that means... Not to me." His expressions were troubled, his brow furrowed.
Slowly walking towards him, Charlotte carefully, every so carefully raised her right hand and placed it on his cheek, causing the Prisoner to flinch, as though shockwaves went shooting through his body at her very touch... "Right now I...I need to feel something other than grief, heartbreak and fear." Slowly, she removed her hand from his cheek before placing it on his chest.
Exhaling deeply, Number Six closed his eyes, unable to meet her piercing, hypnotic gaze.
"And I think you need the same."
Unlike with Number Five's presence here in his cottage, with Charlotte it just felt...right. Comfortable. Even now, when she was so, so close to him, it still felt right... Feeling a sense of calm wash over him, Number Six finally found the courage to open his eyes and look at her.
Smiling sweetly at him, Charlotte slowly closed the space between them, before leaning forward and resting her head on his shoulder.
Putting his arm around her numbly, Number Six felt his fingertips tingling. It was as though they were just awakening to the touch of another human being... Finding the sensation pleasant, Number Six slowly began to stroke her back, thoughts of Janet suddenly coming to mind. Whilst the feeling of actual love itself may have been lacking with his former fiancee, he did always feel comfortable with her. And that's how he felt now. For while Number Five and Number Two had the ability to stir feelings of desire within him, they never made him feel as comfortable as this. Not even when he was at his most sexually charged... Finally finding acceptance, and joining with his new self...Number Six slowly pulled back, his eyes locked on the young woman in his arms.
Looking up at him, Charlotte slowly inched forward, their lips meeting in a tender, longing kiss...
Once they parted, Number Six's eyes suddenly filled with fire, his hands suddenly wandering across her body, taking in her beautiful figure with every touch...
Breaking through his last remaining wall that was still standing, Charlotte spoke directly. "Make love to me."
Number Six didn't even flinch at her words. All he felt was sexual excitement. He felt like an insatiable, sexually awakened teenager, anxious and overwhelmed at the prospect of having sex for the first time...
"Now." Calmly taking his hands in hers, Charlotte slowly led him away from the kitchen area and towards the bedroom.
As he walked slowly in unison with her, Number Six finally felt himself explode from within, his new, firey self emerging, as with a burst of energy, the Prisoner took her into his arms before dragging her towards him, kissing her frantically, almost violently.
Raising her right leg high, Charlotte wrapped it around him, trying her utmost to match his ferocity as she somehow managed to deepen the kiss.
Lifting her up into his arms, Number Six charged forward, knocking into a nearby chair as he did so, sending it crashing aside as they fell against the wall.
Taking off her jacket, Charlotte fumbled with it before throwing it to the floor, Number Six promptly doing the same before they met again in another wildly passionate kiss.
Needing her right now, Number Six took a step back before taking her hand. His eyes standing on stalks, the Prisoner directed her towards the bed before pushing her, sending the young woman falling down onto it.
Laughing with both amusement and desire, Charlotte shook her head in a fast motion, her hair becoming messy in the process.
Number Six was just about to lunge towards her again, when...strangely...a stinging, thunderous sound echoed in his ears. Flinching slightly, the Prisoner had a sudden flashback to his first day in the Village, words he'd once spoken long ago ringing in his ears.
"I will not make any deals with you. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered!... My life is my own."
Returning back to the here and now, Number Six took in the sight of Charlotte undressing. Instantly, he felt himself becoming aroused again, as he watched Charlotte take off her top before throwing it to the floor.
Looking at him with slight confusion in her eyes, Charlotte wondered why he was suddenly hesitating.
As though trapped between desire and doubt, Number Six began to quake. Desperate for her to take the initiative once again, Number Six pleaded softly. "Please." Again, the sound of thunder in his ears, a vision appearing soon after in his mind's eye.
"Is this...is this what they did to you!?" Number Six holds a page from a newspaper up to the small group of people gathered around him within the town hall. "Is this how they tried to break you, until they'd gotten what they were after?"
Determined to break his trance, Charlotte leaned forward, her right arm extended.
"In your heads must still be the remnant of a brain. In your hearts must still be the desire to be a human being again!"
Taking hold of him, Charlotte dragged Number Six towards her.
Falling onto the bed, the Prisoner hungrily began to caress her breasts.
Falling back in ecstasy, Charlotte closed her eyes.
Kissing her torso, Number Six slowly removed the young woman's trousers. Desperate to fight back against the visions, he continued to kiss her, slowly working his way down her body. Still, though, the inner voice reminded him of his true self.
In the Village square, Number Six yells through a megaphone to the gathered crowd. "Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment and will die here like rotten cabbages!"
Pausing for a moment, the Prisoner looked up at the woman writhing in pleasure before him.
"Who's standing beside you now?... I intend to discover who are the prisoners and who are the warders."
Stopping completely, Number Six hovered awkwardly over her.
Her breathing becoming heavy, Charlotte took hold of Number Six's head before directing it towards herself.
Resisting, Number Six yanked himself back, his eyes searching this way and that like a cornered animal caught in a trap.
Sitting up, Charlotte leaned forward and kissed him... "You need to relax. You need to feel... You need to feel." Reaching down, Charlotte ran a hand across his manhood.
His eyes widening, Number Six let out a small moan.
Slowly unbuttoning his trousers, Charlotte giggled ever so slightly, her hand moving away slightly.
"Don't stop." Number Six shook his head, knowing that without continued stimulation the doubts would return. "Just...don't."
"Lay down." She commanded.
Falling backwards, Number Six looked to the ceiling above him, as Charlotte pulled his trousers down... Flinching more than ever before (both at the sound of thunder and her touch), the Prisoner was forced to listen again.
"The whole Earth as the Village?"
"That is my hope," the former Number Two returned.
Again, that roaring sound in his ears.
Floating towards him, the Village guardian, Rover, slowly enveloped our hero, as he struggled in vain to resist it.
Her lips brushing against the evidence of his lust, Number Six once more felt shockwaves shooting through his body. Desperate more than ever to blot out the visions, the Prisoner thrashed his head back against the pillows, trying to focus on the sole feeling of intense pleasure.
"Come on!" Charlotte grew more passionate towards him, desperate to hasten his release.
Lights suddenly flashing before him, Number Six suddenly recalled something. Light. Right here above his bed. The hanging lamp above his bed was pulsating, flashing brighter and brighter as it descended towards him... Once more, the sound of thunder boomed, Number Seventy's voice speaking to him.
"No audio devices here." The old man spoke in reference to his abode in the Village.
Suddenly, the voice of Number Two echoed.
"The old man isn't as on the ball as he'd like to think he is," she stated with assurance. "We've had fresh audio devices in his house for weeks now."
"Tell me you need it." Edging him closer towards ecstasy, Charlotte proceeded to taunt him, as though demanding submission from him... "Tell me!"
Number Six pulled at her hair, dragging her down towards him.
"No!" Charlotte climbed forward and laid on top of him. "Tell me. Tell me you need me."
"I...I do." He weakly admitted. "Need...you."
"Take me," she growled, using her left hand to try and inch him towards her.
Resisting, Number Six pulled away...before his face suddenly became a mask of horror, as he witnessed something truly horrifc. Charlotte's hands seemingly morphed into claws, her eyes flashed red, smoke emitting from her nostrils, her beautiful features becoming demonic.
"Please," she begged.
Her face quickly returning to normal, Number Six blinked rapidly for a moment, as he weakly continued to crawl backwards, again voices in his head echoing around the room, coming at him from all directions.
"The trivia of your resignation," another former Number Two spoke, as he hovered over him. "You resigned. Why prematurely? Why did you resign?"
The words filling him with absolute horror upon hearing them, the voice within his mind echoed again.
"Why did you resign?"
"Do it!" Charlotte kicked her trousers aside and off the bed, offering herself before him right now.
She was mere inches away from him. His torment could end right now if he'd only allow it to.. But thoughts continued to wheel within his mind... Number Seventy was a brilliant man, and one of the very few whom he could honestly say he trusted (well, as much as he could trust anyone) within this place or any other place... If he said no audio devices were present within his home, then Number Six would believe him. And he did believe him. If there had been any fresh devices planted, the old man would have noticed it. He knew that now... So if Number Two hadn't gotten her information directly...then that means someone must have informed on the old man.
Pausing, Charlotte looked at the dull, thoughtful expression on Number Six's face.
All of a sudden, the answer to so many riddles became apparant to Number Six... Again the voice echoed in his mind, louder than ever before.
"RESIGN, RESIGN, RESIGN, RESIGN!"
As though physically wounded by the intensity of the voice this time, Number Six felt a terrible pain in his chest.
"WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY!?... RESIGN, RESIGN, RESIGN, RESIGN!"
The voice and Charlotte seemingly spoke in unison, shouting together.
"Why-why-why did you resign!?"
Number Seventeen's dead face appeared before him, before another vision appeared, of the coupling event, and how stunning and tempting Charlotte had looked that night. From Seventy's final days of terror (even within his own home) to Charlotte's behaviour this very night, all the answers formed into one. The hazy image in his mind finally formed into shape...Charlotte's face covering every single corner of his mind. From his true self to his new, sexually charged self (begging him to ignore the truth and accept release), they all recognised the truth of Charlotte's hidden nature... He suddenly recalled his very first conversation with Number Seventy.
"Why do both sides look alike?" Number Six inquired.
"You mean, how do I know black from white?" Number Seventy (back then, known as Number Fourteen) returned.
"Well?"
"By their diposition. By the moves they make," the old man stated with assurance.
Number Six's eyes locked on Charlotte.
"You soon know who's for you or against you."
"Why!?" Charlotte suddenly shook him.
No longer knowing what she was even asking him, Number Six remained still, almost completely detatched from the feelings of his inflamed manhood (which was protesting right along with Charlotte).
At last, the final resolution appeared to him...as Number Six glimpsed an image of Charlotte hovering over her dead father...pillow in hand.
The stabbing pain in his chest returning again, Number Six collapsed backwards, his vision dulling... The light pulsating once again before him, the lamp above his bed slowly descended, as it had done before on other occassions over the last few days. For indeed, in this very moment, he recognised the awful truth of what was behind his new, sexually awakened self.
With one last stab at attaining victory, Charlotte seized hold of him, trying to guide him inside her.
Here and now both versions of himself collided, each equally determined to win over the other. The tempestuous nature of one side clearly dominated the other, as it presented him with the option of merely sating his frustrations. In using this succubus before him for his own needs before then casting her aside, and then revealing to her that their latest plan had been failed... It would be so, so easy to do that. All he had to do was stop fighting...
"We mustn't disappoint them. The ones who are watching."
The sound of thunder echoing in his ears, Number Six realised that he'd lost all control over himself, as he found his lips moving, words mumbling. For all he knew, right now he was giving her the answer to the question that all the listening ears wanted answering. The reason behind his resignation.
The light grew brighter and brighter and brighter, determined to reassert its authority over him.
The pain in his chest growing to such an extent, Number Six felt as if he was about to explode...
"I am not a number! I am a free man!"
Screaming in frustration, Charlotte pushed down against him, clawing and tearing at him with her claw like hands.
His scream matching her own, Number Six closed his eyes tight, shielding them from the intense light... Believing that if he didn't surrender to bliss right now he would simply expire on the spot, the Prisoner teetered on the verge of surrender... Finally, finally... he relented, as he edged himself inside her.
"YEEESSSSSS!"
Suddenly, like a divine intervention, a third voice cried out, as the door to the cottage suddenly burst open.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Number Two screamed in horror at the scene unfolding before her.
This small intervention was all Number Six needed to finally break the spell, as his eyes suddenly opened, the fire of old burning within them.
"You!?" Charlotte exclaimed in both anger and confusion.
The conditioning finally broken, Number Six yelled before tossing Charlotte to the floor, the young woman landing in a heap... Buttoning his trousers back up, a trembling, clearly disturbed Number Six struggled to his feet and stood up on the bed.
Fearing for the state of his clearly fragile mind, Gwen slowly extended her hand towards him. "Please wait."
Reacting with characteristic anger, Number Six slammed his clenched fist against the swinging lamp, sending it crashing into the nearby wall, the bulb shattering.
"Number Six!?" Gwen shouted.
Diving for safety, Charlotte scrambled away, desperately trying to cover herself up with a nearby pillow as she did so.
In a frenzy, a manic looking Number Six leaped off the bed before charging towards the open door.
In fear of being trampled, Number Two quickly moved aside, as Number Six charged out of the cottage, making for a nearby parked Mini Moke...
"No!" Shouting after him, Gwen rushed outside, but it was too late...the car had started and it was speeding away.
Still feeling the after effects of the conditioning, and unable to think of anything but escape in this moment, Number Six slammed his foot down harder on the accelerator pedal, the car speeding off and away from the cottage.
Looking on in horror, Gwen watched as the vehicle disappeared out of sight...
"You fool!" Charlotte shouted from inside the cottage. "He was about to break!"
"He wasn't!" Gwen shouted back. "You would have killed him!"
"No, no!" Charlotte refused to accept this as she began to dress herself. "It's clear to me now." She glared in Number Two's direction... "You were just too involved to-"
"Orange alert!" a booming voice suddenly echoed throughout the Village, speaking over all the tannoys.
Rushing forward and looking towards the Village sqaure down below, Number Two took a deep breath, fear for Number Six's and her own safety nearly overcoming her... And all the while, the voice of the Village supervisor continued to boom across the Village.
"Orange alert! Orange alert!"
(A/N). Phew... And there you have it folks.
As always, I'd love to hear from you. Let me know what you think.
Thanks again for all the support. And now, before I go, I'd just like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a blessed, happy 2021.
Until next time...be seeing you.