Brooklyn woke up after four days since his poisoning when he heard the door unlocking. Thailog was delivering his water and a sandwich. They had allowed him to let his stomach heal before anymore tests happened.
"Okay, Plaything, you have a new test approaching in about four days. Keep cooperating well like you have been, and none of my men will bring you harm. I already tested the food, it still isn't poisoned," he said smoothly, setting it down. Brooklyn looked away. He hadn't eaten since then, yet Thailog persisted until it came to force feeding almost every day.
Brooklyn pushed his plate away, belly making unrealistic noises, wincing from the pain. Thailog narrowed his eyes.
Thailog did his best to calmly persuade Brooklyn to eat so the force feeding would end, but Brooklyn just looked at him with saddened eyes.
"M-My stomach needs rest. I-it's hard for me to eat," he pleaded. But Thailog shook his head.
"It is important for you to eat to get strength for the next test, so you will be force fed again. Do you understand, Plaything?" he asked. Brooklyn didn't want Thailog to go back to hurting him so he nodded. So far, nothing else had been broken ever since their deal. Thailog had kept his word.
He squirmed when they tied him down again, but not too painfully because Thailog needed him to believe that his guards wouldn't bring him anymore harm under his watch.
Once more, that horrible tube was placed into his stomach, making Brooklyn whimper, but Thailog took his hand, smiling almost comfortingly, but it sent shivers up the red gargoyle's spine, for it looked rather evil mostly.
He was thrown into his cell with his water after they had fed him. Brooklyn lay there for a while, utter hopelessness for a rescue flashing in his soul. Seeing his water, he began drinking, ignoring the fact that it burned his throat again, hoping it would quench his sadness.
Meanwhile, Thailog was conversing secretly with Carlos, who felt poisoning wasn't completely satisfactory, though he enjoyed it greatly.
"I wish to push his belief that nobody will come to save him even further, for here's an idea: I have special holographic suits for you, Carlos. Dress as my father, Goliath, and hire some of your men to play the rest of them. My plaything will believe he is being rescued," Thailog explained to him.
Carlos though had a thought. "But won't he suspect—?" He began to ask, but Thailog began to chuckle sinisterly. "I have been dosing him with my special water again. It will dull his brain, and fog his vision. There's no chance he'll guess until it's too late and he realizes it is all false. I shall save him from you, and 'comfort' him to build his trust in me."
This sounded quite fun. "Oh yes, that should twist Brooklyn's simple little head, and break him for sure!" he laughed evilly, as the two shook hands. Thailog set up the holographic suit, allowing Carlos to step in after putting on a suit that gave him gargoyle strength. The image synced with his body movements, and Fake Goliath grinned, looking over his hand, which flickered.
"I can at last continue my revenge, in the form of one that devil admires and loves." Carlos said, his voice changing to Goliath's as he and Thailog both cackled together.
….
Brooklyn opened his eyes, his head feeling woozy again, shaking slightly, the guards returning to bring Brooklyn to his next test after Thailog confirmed he was nourished and well enough after he had been able to force eat a sandwich without his stomach hurting.
"Let's head out for more fun, Devil," sneered one, poking his side with their cattle prods. Brooklyn whined in pain, staggering to his feet as much as his headache and sore body would allow, feeling those hands clamp like vices around his arms, dragging him away.
Brooklyn looked down, not even caring what sort of nightmare awaited him next, when suddenly alarms blared, making him jerk up in surprise. This time he hadn't caused them.
"Intruders! Gargoyles broke in!" shouted a voice on the intercom. This had shock radiating in Brooklyn, had his clan finally come? Was he saved?
There were shouts and crashes. Excitement was surging in Brooklyn, hearing his clan fighting the soldiers. He recognized one of them when he came into view, but for whatever reason, he still felt rather groggy like so Brooklyn didn't instantly see it was a hologram of Goliath.
'Goliath' growled, charging head on at the men, grabbing them both, knocking their heads together then tossing them away. He looked at Brooklyn, who was so happy he couldn't speak. Angela, Broadway and Lexington were also there. Hudson and Bronx weren't present, but Brooklyn figured they were keeping the rest of the guards at bay.
"Brooklyn, are you alright?" 'Goliath' questioned, a hand on his shoulder. Brooklyn flinched when his shackle squeezed. 'Goliath' noticed.
"What manner of evil is this?" he growled. "T-Thailog did it, t-to hurt me," Brooklyn whimpered weakly, tugging it. 'Goliath' took Brooklyn's hand. "Come, our medic can get it off of you back home, you're safe now," he said. But this confused the red gargoyle. 'Angela' supported him too.
"Wait, Thailog has a remote. Only he can take it off me," he persisted, but Goliath shook his head. "We don't have time. Our medics are professionals, they can help," he argued. Brooklyn held back.
"No, s-somebody has to find Thailog, and-and use the remote to take it off. You have to believe me," Brooklyn pleaded, but Goliath suddenly frowned.
"Trust us, Brooklyn, we have better and faster care for you than confronting my 'son,' who would trick us in seconds. Now we must hurry."
Brooklyn still felt hesitant that a doctor could take this shackle off, but Goliath knew what he was doing, since he's the leader. Shaking his head after another groggy feeling, he nodded.
"Okay. I trust you," he mumbled, just glad to be back with his clan again. 'Lex' and 'Broadway' hugged him, and he embraced their hug.
Eventually, they began running, ducking the guards, Brooklyn occasionally feeling dizzy and nauseous, but 'Angela' kept telling him it would be okay and they'll get out. But he wondered though why his wings hadn't been untied this whole time. Then, 'Goliath' looked to the others when the exit came close.
"I want you to go on ahead of me and Brooklyn. We'll catch up with you," he told them. Brooklyn wondered what could be going on, watching his rookery siblings running out of the exit.
"Why did we split up? What's going on?" Brook asked, as 'Goliath' moved him away from the exit, hoping to trap him in a room where he could give him his deserved beating, for Thailog was lying in wait for his move.
"There might be guards at the entrance. I had Puck scan for secret exits in this building, and we just found one," he said, grinning, opening the door, which was dark inside.
Brooklyn held back, feeling nerved out and scared about all this, but 'Goliath' gave him an assuring nod. Taking a coarse breath, Brooklyn stepped inside, unaware of his rescuer closing the door, or Thailog awaiting to 'save' him.
He looked around, smelling, but there was no fresh air. This wasn't right.
"G-Goliath? A-are you—ugh!" he shouted out when something hard struck him in the face, knocking Brooklyn to the floor, hissing in agony as he landed on his casted arm and his broken wing erupted with pain from the harsh movement. Stars blinked in front of his eyes, and he shook his head, looking up to glowing eyes.
"At last, I now can take revenge in person!" growled 'Goliath,' sneering. Brooklyn was shaken, pushing himself back in terror, wincing from his still casted arm. Why was he attacking him?!
"What are you doing? You're rescuing me!" he screamed, utterly terrified that his own leader had actually punched him, still feeling woozy in his head that wasn't from the punch. 'Goliath' grabbed his throat, lifting him off the floor.
"How stupid are you, Devil? Did you really believe we had come to save you? This was all part of my plan," he snarled, baring his teeth. Brooklyn was screaming, struggling hard as his air was cut off, tears pooling.
"Stop!" he wailed, being pressed against the wall, his airpipe being cut off. "Stop doing this, Goliath! Just take me home!" But then, something odd happened, Goliath's form flickered, then vanishing, revealing a familiar scarred human, smirking devilishly in vengeful delight, wearing a metal suit that was almost like Xanatos's gargoyle suit, strong enough to fight a gargoyle. This sent shock waves of complete horror into Brooklyn, who struggled even more violently.
"Such a wretched dumb little beast, tricked by little holograms into thinking you would escape? How pathetic! The rest of them weren't really there, either. They had been my most trusted followers," taunted Carlos.
Brooklyn couldn't believe it; the rescue had been a trick, a phony, feeling the reality of not actually going home slap him hard in the face, stinging tears leaking down, and realizing that his hugs from his brothers weren't really from them, making Brooklyn shudder from the thought of hugging those evil humans.
"B-but why?" he sobbed, pulling against his captor. He gasped as Carlos gripped his throat tighter. "Revenge. You scarred me, Gargoyle, and now I shall destroy you. Thailog will have to find a new plaything. Your clan will see you no more…" Carlos stated darkly, squeezing tighter.
Brooklyn could feel his movements growing sluggish, moaning, as Carlos choked him until he could feel Death's hands caressing him. But then, he fell to the floor, a loud roar ringing in his head, Carlos grunting.
His vision was so hazy and warm, looking over and to his surprise, it was Thailog, tackling the human, punching him in the chest, throwing Carlos into the wall. Brooklyn began to whimper in pain, clutching his throat and stomach, as Thailog went over, his eyes filled with false concern and pity, a hand on Brooklyn's shoulder, who was shivering violently from the horror of the fake rescue.
"The human is taken care of, little one, I'm here for you. No one touches my plaything," he said gently, like how Goliath used to comfort him, wrapping his wing and arms around Brooklyn carefully. Brooklyn kept crying his heart out.
"I-I thought I was going home… It was all a lie…" he mumbled in a monotone sad voice, eyes sore from crying, suddenly hugging Thailog with his good arm. His eyes flickered in little surprise from this advanced movement, but that just pleased him even further, stroking his back comfortingly.
"I know… I know. I'm sorry your clan hasn't really been trying to rescue you, Brooklyn. You can always converse with me if you need to after tests. Would you like that, little plaything?" he purred softly. Brooklyn looked up at him, pricks of fear at the idea of living here forever still thumping inside him.
But now he might have no choice. What if this whole false rescue happened again? He wouldn't know which one to believe was real. It would drive him mad. Thailog was so far the only real gargoyle here he could talk to, though he had mostly been tortured before. Perhaps trusting him could maybe make Thailog change his ways.
He hugged Thailog weakly again, tears flooding down his face, nodding, feeling too weak to stand up on his own. Thailog picked him up and brought back to his cell, even bringing in a blanket to warm Brooklyn, who was still crying silently from being fooled like that until his eyes closed in sleep.
Thailog stroked the now sleeping Brooklyn's cheek. He couldn't describe how well his trust plan was going. He didn't exactly kill Carlos. It was going to be so delicious when he stabs his little plaything in the back in his next interrogation, breaking his ability to trust ever again.