Prompt(s) Filled: 4. Hidden Injury, 6. Screams from Across the Hall, 10. Taser, 13. Dislocation, 18. "Just get it over with.", 23. Tied to a Table
It was safe to say that Gordon didn't get any sleep the night before. Despite how quiet Fuse was, Gordon didn't think he got to sleep either, if the way he was curled up into a shivering ball was any indication. The room did not get any warmer throughout the night, however Gordon didn't think it got any colder after a certain time. Not that it mattered, as he was sure it reached below freezing and that was certainly cold enough.
At some point, when it was close to morning, Gordon's exhaustion almost managed to make him forget the cold and pull him to sleep. However, he supposed it was a good thing when he was shocked awake from his near-sleep by the door opening, as falling asleep in a freezing room could have turned into something bad. The cold was deep in his bones by that point, and Gordon was sure it wouldn't take long for something severe to happen.
As the clunky door was pushed open, Gordon sat up straight and blinked over at who was coming into their room, his joints half-asleep from the cold. He barely had time to register the guards before he was pulled to his numb feet. Fuse was grabbed too, which made Gordon even more alert, as they were never usually taken from the room at the same time.
He couldn't see where Fuse went as Gordon was dragged in another direction. The hallway outside of their room was much warmer, and Gordon almost wasn't worried about where he was being taken today if it meant he could get out of that freezing cold room.
As he walked, the feeling returned to his toes and fingers, but he knew it would take a while to get completely warmed up again. And that wasn't taking into consideration whatever torment would meet them next, which Gordon doubted was going to be a cosy room filled with blankets.
When he was brought to a room, it was one he hadn't seen before. There was a flat, wooden table in the centre with straps attached to the sides, and Gordon instantly had an idea of what was going to happen.
He tried to struggle away, like he always did, but he was never successful and he knew his chances of success were dwindling. He felt himself growing weaker each day, and it was getting even harder to try and fight these guys off.
It was made even worse now when exhaustion pulled at him and his limbs felt stiff from the cold. He wondered if the sleep deprivation was intentional for today's events, or it was just an extra load of torment to go with whatever was going to happen here.
One of the men behind Gordon twisted his arms behind his back, and forced him forwards and onto the table. They manhandled him on top of it, grabbing his arms and legs and lifting him on top. They pinned him down on his back, and got the straps around his wrists and ankles before he could stop them. The harsh surface of the table dug into his healing wounds, and Gordon doubted that discomfort was all the torture he was going to receive today.
He pulled at the straps, but they were secured tightly and wouldn't budge. His chest heaved as he tried to prepare himself for whatever was to come next. No matter how much he went through this, day after day of torment, he would never get used to it.
After he was strapped down, the men stepped away, and Gordon tried to watch what they were doing. There were three of them, but two left the room, leaving only one man who stood at the edge of the room, just outside Gordon's vision. He couldn't see what the man was up to, but he didn't sound like he was doing anything, like he was just standing there.
Gordon thought that he might be waiting for someone to enter the room, or for something else, which had him worried for what that something could possibly be.
A few agonisingly long moments passed, and Gordon was close to saying something just to try and keep himself calm, whilst maybe also getting a piece of information out of the man. However, when he almost couldn't take the torment any longer, he heard a voice.
"It's been a while since we last saw each other."
Gordon frowned at the voice. It sounded familiar, and he quickly realised it was the leader of this crew. He hadn't seen the man that much, as most of his torture came from the grunts, but Gordon got the feeling the man wasn't talking to him. The voice sounded strange, like he wasn't in the same room as him. It sounded like it was coming through a speaker.
"You've been here a long time, Fuse."
The pieces clicked together. The man wasn't speaking to Gordon, he was talking to Fuse. He had been taken to a separate room, a room which must have a mic that was connected to a speaker in this room. Gordon wondered why he was being subjected to their conversation, but he didn't want to find out.
"I'm sure you would like for this torment to come to an end. I can make that happen."
"You wish." Gordon finally heard the other man speak, and he wondered if Fuse knew that he could hear him.
"Do I? I've actually been having a lot of fun making you and your little friend suffer. I just thought that I should let you know the offer is on the table."
Gordon felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of him, and he swallowed thickly.
"Speaking of your friend, I'm sure he would like to not have to suffer either, which you can put a stop to as well."
The blood rushed in Gordon's ears, making it almost impossible to hear what was said next. If he wasn't beginning to panic, it would register to him that Fuse was right about why they were being kept there.
"Join my crew, and I won't hurt him."
"No."
The response came almost instantly. Gordon couldn't be upset with Fuse's decision, as he wouldn't want the man giving in because of him. However, he didn't have much time to process it before the man who had been silently waiting in the corner of the room stepped forward.
A searing pain hit his side as electricity crackled, and he couldn't help but let out a choked cry that escaped him from the sudden pain. He coughed and blinked blearily over at the man to find he had a cattle prod in his hand.
"Gordon!" Fuse must have heard him, which meant that he had also caught up to what was going on.
"I'm fine," Gordon managed to say after he'd gotten his breath back, but it wasn't even a second later before the pain hit him again in the same spot, and he cried out involuntarily.
"Remember, you can make it stop," the crew leader's voice came through the speaker.
The hesitance on Fuse's end had Gordon worried that he was going to give in, and he wanted to tell him not to, but before he could even open his mouth, he was hit by the cattle prod again.
And again.
And again.
Over and over, he felt the burn of the electricity across his skin as he was hit by the device all over his body. He clenched his teeth to try and contain his screams, his back arching against the table as he pulled against his restraints.
Every time, the device was held against him for even longer than before, and eventually he could no longer contain the scream when he felt pain pierce through him as the cattle prod was held against a fresh cut that had yet to heal. His vision doubled and he cried out, but quickly bit down on his cheek to shut himself up.
"Fuse?" The leader sounded calm as he regarded the man he was with.
"F-Fuse-" Gordon panted as the device was withdrawn for a moment. He had to speak before Fuse made a decision he would regret. "Don't-"
His words were cut off by the agonising fire that hit his throat, and a gargled, painful sob escaped him as the metal prongs were forced against his neck.
He couldn't breathe, and black spots danced around his vision, until he was finally able to draw in a wheeze when the device was removed once more.
He coughed painfully, each gasp sending daggers through his throat and chest. He didn't know how much more of this he could take, but he had to hold out for Fuse's sake.
"Last chance," the man on the speaker sounded like he was growing impatient, which Gordon hoped was a good thing for him. It would mean this agony would be over soon.
It was silent aside from Gordon's heavy breaths as they waited for Fuse's answer. When the man did eventually speak, his voice was filled with guilt.
"I won't join your crew."
The last thing Gordon heard was Fuse muttering an apology to him before the electricity hit his abdomen, and the cattle prod was held there until Gordon eventually passed out.
He woke up in their cell, and he didn't think he would ever get used to the relief that gave him. It meant that the torture was over with for now.
He ached all over, but distinctly realised that their room was almost back to the original temperature. At least he thought it was, but he could always have just been burning up from the torment he'd just endured.
He looked over at the other side of the room, but was surprised to find there was no sign of Fuse. Gordon had no idea how long he had been unconscious for, and worried that maybe after he'd passed out Fuse had given into them. That might have been why Gordon was back in the room now.
Gordon pushed himself up on wobbly limbs to sit up and face the door, biting back a scream as fried nerves made themselves known. He didn't believe that Fuse would give up, and he expected the man to come through that door any moment now. He just had to wait.
He wasn't disappointed, and it wasn't even thirty minutes later before the door was unlocked and Fuse was forced inside.
He looked almost as bad as Gordon was feeling. It was clear they had done a number on him after he'd refused their offer, as his face was black and blue and he was holding one arm to his chest tightly.
He seemed to visibly relax when he saw Gordon, which was also how Gordon felt when he saw that Fuse hadn't given into them just yet.
"Are you okay? I had no clue what they were doing, and I was imagining the worst," Fuse rambled as he moved like he was going to come to Gordon's side, but thought against it as the movement made him wince.
"I'm fine."
The way his voice came out raspy and gravelly, and how speaking made him cough, may have made him not seem as fine as he was attempting to make out to be. It was also really painful to talk, but Fuse didn't need to know that.
Fuse sent him a knowing look, just like Gordon's brothers did when he tried to brush off an injury, and Gordon wasn't a fan of the scrutinising frown.
"Really." A cough, and he paused as he tried to swallow the ache in his throat. "It's not the worst I've had here." Gordon was sure that was at least true.
At that, a guilty look washed over Fuse's face and he tentatively sat down on his own bed. He grimaced as he pulled his arm closer to his side, but quickly wiped the expression away as he spoke again, his words coming off as a string of rambling.
"I'm really sorry. I could have put a stop to it, but I was being so selfish. I was only thinking of myself. I should have just-"
"Do you know," he coughed, "how much more upset I would be if you had given into them." Another pause as he took a breath. "Knowing it was because of me?" Gordon cut the man off before he could be lost in his guilt. He coughed a few times after he had finished, which somehow had Fuse looking even more guilty.
Gordon analysed the man further. Fuse was hunched over and he still had an arm held to his chest, and Gordon soon realised the body language was more than just because he was feeling at fault. He had dealt with this before way too many times with his brothers. He could see when someone was trying to hide an injury, partially because he was good at doing that himself.
"Are you hurt?"
Fuse looked over at him in surprise, and looked ready to deny it, but Gordon looked pointedly at his arm. Fuse swallowed, and the guilty looks just kept coming.
"After they were… done with you, they had some fun left for me. At some point, one of them twisted my arm behind my back. I felt something pop," Fuse reluctantly admitted, and Gordon winced. Dislocations were never any fun.
"I can reset it for you?" Gordon phrased it like an offer, but he was going to help the man no matter what. He wouldn't let Fuse suffer or cause further damage when he knew he could make it better.
"You don't have to-" Fuse started, but Gordon was already pushing himself up.
His legs didn't want to cooperate and he staggered as he stood. He briefly saw stars, but he made it across the short distance without collapsing.
"You really don't need to. I'll be fine, you should rest," Fuse tried, but Gordon had already flopped down next to him.
"Let me see." Gordon held out his arms, thankful they were one spot the cattle prod didn't hit him, and Fuse slowly uncurled himself and let Gordon take his injured arm into his hands.
Gordon checked just to make sure it was a dislocation, and when he confirmed it was, he moved Fuse's arm into position.
"This isn't going to be nice," Gordon informed him, even though that was likely obvious.
"Just get it over with," Fuse said as he looked away and closed his eyes to steel himself.
Rather than prolong it, Gordon tried to reset the shoulder as swiftly and as smoothly as he could. Fuse flinched at the same time Gordon heard the pop of the bones moving back into place, and then the man relaxed as the pain lessened slightly.
"Better?" Gordon asked the man, who nodded. Although, he still seemed withdrawn, and Gordon suspected he was hiding something else. "What is it?"
"You should be hating me, not helping me," he mumbled.
"Hey, what happened to being in this together?" Gordon smiled reassuringly at the man, who seemed to relax just slightly. Gordon truly was not upset that Fuse was protecting himself from those men, it just sucked that Gordon was in the crossfire.
Whilst they were airing their worries, Gordon thought about what had been weighing him down all night.
"Um, about yesterday and your sister…" Gordon started, trying to work out how to phrase what he was going to say next.
"I'm sorry," Fuse beat him to it. "I shouldn't have snapped, sleep deprivation will do that to you I guess." He chuckled, but then seemed to sober up as he took a breath. "I was just upset because, like you, I used to think that she would come and rescue me. She was my partner and helped me with my… operation. She had told me that coming after these guys was a bad idea, but I didn't listen to her. She probably did assume they just killed me and disposed of my body somewhere. She had no reason to come and look for me, but I still hoped. The fact she never came just made this place feel even worse."
"No, that's not it." Gordon shook his head, and Fuse looked over at him in confusion. "Maybe you're right. I should stop thinking that my brothers will come for me. There's no way they know where I am. It's been weeks and nothing has happened."
It hurt his heart to admit it, but Gordon knew it was right. He had to let them go.
It was something he had thought about all night after Fuse had stopped talking to him. He realistically knew they had no hope of finding him, he just kept telling himself that they would so he wouldn't go completely insane. That was just wishful thinking, and if he was going to survive in here, he needed to be more realistic.
"Don't say that." Fuse twisted with a wince so he could face Gordon fully, and grasped Gordon's upper arm with his one working hand. Gordon was stunned by the movement. "I didn't give into those guys because I thought about what you said. We need to have hope that we will get out of here. And we will, I know it."
Gordon was shocked by the sudden fire in the man's eyes. Fuse had previously dismissed any attempt he had made at trying to get him to believe they could get out of there, whether that be by rescue or escape. Seeing his attitude so different made Gordon's second guessing nonexistent.
"You're right." Gordon nodded, wondering why he ever had doubts. This place was affecting him more than he realised.
"Of course I am, because it's what you taught me." He smiled, and then pulled away. "You should really rest, though. Your voice still sounds awful."
Gordon snorted, and as if on cue, was forced into a painful coughing fit. He glared at the told-you-so look Fuse was sending him, but listened to him just like he would if he was any of Gordon's brothers. It felt odd to joke around in this kind of situation, and he knew it wouldn't last long. But it was nice to find a bit of a lifeline in a place of endless torment. It seemed, Fuse was affecting him more than he realised as well.
Gordon limped his way back to his bed, his body feeling even more sore the longer he was awake. He promptly collapsed onto his front on the mattress, and gave into the sleep that he had missed out on the night before, hoping the rest would do him good.
friends again :)