Please forgive me
She woke to the angry muttering of the officer. At first that was all she was aware of; his voice. And her mind readied for the pain that was sure to follow it. Even then, when she was only partly awake, did her muscles tense in preparation.
But then she realised that the cuffs were gone from her wrists. The collar was gone from her neck. She was lying on her back, she was warm, a soft blanket lying over her, and a pillow under her head. When she forced her eyes open the cleanliness of the room surprised her.
It was some sort of hospital, obviously.
She was aware enough to avoid opening her eyes fully, and glanced around the room with eyes that still looked closed.
There was an anti-morphing ray in the corner of this room as well, to her disappointment. She focused her ears and the muttering of the officer - and another, female voice, unknown to her - turned to words.
"Well congratulations, Gus, you've done it again," the woman spat sharply. Rachel was dimly aware that a shape leaned over her, watching her closely. "Could you just be a little gentler?"
The officer made a very rude noise. "Mind your own business, Carla."
"Your prisoners are my business, considering how often you have to bring them here."
"Then shut up and do your job. Be a nurse. Don't hold any moral lectures."
Rachel heard the heavy sigh. "Why should you care, you seem to be immune to them."
There was the sound of a fist slamming down on a table. "I said SHUT UP!"
The nurse stared up at him, defiant, and when she spoke her voice was low and controlled. "Don't you dare threaten me, Gus. If you do, the bosses will have your head. They don't allow that kind of behaviour. Especially not twice."
"The bosses won't have my head. I'm useful. I do my job. I get them information. I break down those stiff-necked rebel warriors until for the bosses until they're grovelling and begging. A nurse, though, can be replaced."
Rachel listened with a degree of relief as he left the room, his loud, heavy footsteps making her ears and head hurt.
The nurse huffed. "Glad to be rid of him," she said to Rachel, in a tone that didn't expect a reply.
"I'm conscious," Rachel informed her, surprised to hear the strength of her own voice, as she opened her eyes and looked up at a surprised face, surrounded by a cascade of red, curly hair.
When the surprise died down the nurse smiled. "You're stronger than you look. My name is Clara. I'm a nurse. You see, you're…"
"I heard you talking. I've figured it out. I've been aware for some time."
Clara nodded gravely. "But do me and yourself a favour; make sure you seem unconscious when that lowlife comes, or he'll drag you back to your cell before anyone can stop him."
Rachel nodded. Pain shot through her head, making her close her eyes. "I can imagine."
"No, you can't. Gus is mad; ask anyone around here. Everyone's afraid of him."
"I'm not afraid of him," Rachel declared.
"You will be. But I'm not; not any more."
Rachel's eyes opened, staring up at the nurse's face. "Why not?"
Pride shone in Clara's steel-blue eyes. "He can't do worse than he already has." She sighed, placed a hand over Rachel's face and gently closed her eyes. "Rest now. While you have the chance. You've only been here a few minutes, but if Gus has his way, you'll be out of here in just as few."
Clara's guess was not completely accurate, but close enough. Rachel spent a restful night in a soft bed, making the most of being relieved from the pain in her wounds by the drugs she had been given. The morning after, though, the officer returned with two soldiers and Clara's fierce protests were coldly ignored. The soldiers grabbed Rachel by the arms and dragged her out of the room.
She was still too weak to walk, too weak to resist strongly enough for it to matter, but she was strong enough to hear Clara following, keeping pace with the officer, still protesting loudly - and to hear her cry out as a fist struck her to the floor.
"You don't want to get caught at this," the soldier muttered, glancing up from the screens where he had kept his gaze fixed.
"No, I don't; but not for my own sake." Tobias looked down at the second screen, that showed Rachel's little cell. It had been empty over the night; now a shape was huddled in a corner, shivering, for all eyes clearly wanting to break out crying but refusing to do so. If he didn't know who it was he wouldn't have recognized her.
The thought of the officer, who was responsible, made fear clasp around his mind again. He glanced back at the door; he wasn't allowed to be there. He had been strictly forbidden to go anywhere near Rachel's cell. He was not openly defying the officer, but watching the security screens would be good enough to earn him a good punishment - more because the officer liked punishing than because he had earned it.
But he was not afraid for himself. What he was afraid of was what the officer had told him when Rachel had arrived.
Before Rachel came he himself had been the officer's favourite victim. Fear of the cruel officer was by then rooted to the core of his being; he had been there far too long to have any hope of having it cured. Hopes of escaping had died years earlier. He had been more or less free to roam as he wished, within the building, because the officer was safe in his belief that Tobias no longer had the guts to defy him.
Which had been all too true.
But the day Rachel arrived the officer had appeared in the doorway to Tobias's unlocked cell, looking down at him with his sly, malevolent eyes. Tobias remembered the green chewing gum in his mouth - the same gum that now stuck to Rachel's hair. He remembered pulling back, waiting for the rain of blows that to his surprise never came. "We caught an old friend of yours. Your behaviour isn't bad, birdbrain, but it could be better. It WILL be better." He had smiled that vicious grin that Tobias knew all too well. "One wrong move from you, and she gets beaten for it."
Rachel would be punished for his mistakes; that was enough to keep Tobias tightly in the officer's grasp, without having to waste any energy on guarding him any better. The officer was cruel; but he was far from stupid. He knew very well how to keep a body and mind barely alive - and totally in his control.
But at that moment Tobias's miserable existence had changed. Purpose came back; with purpose came hope. Still only a faint glimmer of hope, in the lurking depths of a mind shadowed by fear, but it was enough to spark the last of his defiance. And for the first time in he didn't even try to figure out how long, he was brave enough to…
"He's returning," the soldier warned.
Tobias looked down at the screen, to see the door to Rachel's cell slammed open and the officer barging in. He grabbed hold of the tattered, bloody tangle that once had been her beautiful blond hair, yanked her up, and with a single motion threw her out of the room.
Tobias's jaws tightened with resolve to, somehow, get her out of there. At the same time he wanted to shrink together from the mere thought of what the officer would do if he found out.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's Note;
There, finished with that one. Maybe you're able to figure out where the title comes from... or not. It isn't clear yet, but it will be.
Review this one and I'll try to put the next one together. It's patches of text here and there, for the moment, because when I stopped writing this and hid it away it was beginning, part of middle, part of end, and a lot of gaps. Now I have to try to fill them in. Which is harder than it sounds.
She woke to the angry muttering of the officer. At first that was all she was aware of; his voice. And her mind readied for the pain that was sure to follow it. Even then, when she was only partly awake, did her muscles tense in preparation.
But then she realised that the cuffs were gone from her wrists. The collar was gone from her neck. She was lying on her back, she was warm, a soft blanket lying over her, and a pillow under her head. When she forced her eyes open the cleanliness of the room surprised her.
It was some sort of hospital, obviously.
She was aware enough to avoid opening her eyes fully, and glanced around the room with eyes that still looked closed.
There was an anti-morphing ray in the corner of this room as well, to her disappointment. She focused her ears and the muttering of the officer - and another, female voice, unknown to her - turned to words.
"Well congratulations, Gus, you've done it again," the woman spat sharply. Rachel was dimly aware that a shape leaned over her, watching her closely. "Could you just be a little gentler?"
The officer made a very rude noise. "Mind your own business, Carla."
"Your prisoners are my business, considering how often you have to bring them here."
"Then shut up and do your job. Be a nurse. Don't hold any moral lectures."
Rachel heard the heavy sigh. "Why should you care, you seem to be immune to them."
There was the sound of a fist slamming down on a table. "I said SHUT UP!"
The nurse stared up at him, defiant, and when she spoke her voice was low and controlled. "Don't you dare threaten me, Gus. If you do, the bosses will have your head. They don't allow that kind of behaviour. Especially not twice."
"The bosses won't have my head. I'm useful. I do my job. I get them information. I break down those stiff-necked rebel warriors until for the bosses until they're grovelling and begging. A nurse, though, can be replaced."
Rachel listened with a degree of relief as he left the room, his loud, heavy footsteps making her ears and head hurt.
The nurse huffed. "Glad to be rid of him," she said to Rachel, in a tone that didn't expect a reply.
"I'm conscious," Rachel informed her, surprised to hear the strength of her own voice, as she opened her eyes and looked up at a surprised face, surrounded by a cascade of red, curly hair.
When the surprise died down the nurse smiled. "You're stronger than you look. My name is Clara. I'm a nurse. You see, you're…"
"I heard you talking. I've figured it out. I've been aware for some time."
Clara nodded gravely. "But do me and yourself a favour; make sure you seem unconscious when that lowlife comes, or he'll drag you back to your cell before anyone can stop him."
Rachel nodded. Pain shot through her head, making her close her eyes. "I can imagine."
"No, you can't. Gus is mad; ask anyone around here. Everyone's afraid of him."
"I'm not afraid of him," Rachel declared.
"You will be. But I'm not; not any more."
Rachel's eyes opened, staring up at the nurse's face. "Why not?"
Pride shone in Clara's steel-blue eyes. "He can't do worse than he already has." She sighed, placed a hand over Rachel's face and gently closed her eyes. "Rest now. While you have the chance. You've only been here a few minutes, but if Gus has his way, you'll be out of here in just as few."
Clara's guess was not completely accurate, but close enough. Rachel spent a restful night in a soft bed, making the most of being relieved from the pain in her wounds by the drugs she had been given. The morning after, though, the officer returned with two soldiers and Clara's fierce protests were coldly ignored. The soldiers grabbed Rachel by the arms and dragged her out of the room.
She was still too weak to walk, too weak to resist strongly enough for it to matter, but she was strong enough to hear Clara following, keeping pace with the officer, still protesting loudly - and to hear her cry out as a fist struck her to the floor.
"You don't want to get caught at this," the soldier muttered, glancing up from the screens where he had kept his gaze fixed.
"No, I don't; but not for my own sake." Tobias looked down at the second screen, that showed Rachel's little cell. It had been empty over the night; now a shape was huddled in a corner, shivering, for all eyes clearly wanting to break out crying but refusing to do so. If he didn't know who it was he wouldn't have recognized her.
The thought of the officer, who was responsible, made fear clasp around his mind again. He glanced back at the door; he wasn't allowed to be there. He had been strictly forbidden to go anywhere near Rachel's cell. He was not openly defying the officer, but watching the security screens would be good enough to earn him a good punishment - more because the officer liked punishing than because he had earned it.
But he was not afraid for himself. What he was afraid of was what the officer had told him when Rachel had arrived.
Before Rachel came he himself had been the officer's favourite victim. Fear of the cruel officer was by then rooted to the core of his being; he had been there far too long to have any hope of having it cured. Hopes of escaping had died years earlier. He had been more or less free to roam as he wished, within the building, because the officer was safe in his belief that Tobias no longer had the guts to defy him.
Which had been all too true.
But the day Rachel arrived the officer had appeared in the doorway to Tobias's unlocked cell, looking down at him with his sly, malevolent eyes. Tobias remembered the green chewing gum in his mouth - the same gum that now stuck to Rachel's hair. He remembered pulling back, waiting for the rain of blows that to his surprise never came. "We caught an old friend of yours. Your behaviour isn't bad, birdbrain, but it could be better. It WILL be better." He had smiled that vicious grin that Tobias knew all too well. "One wrong move from you, and she gets beaten for it."
Rachel would be punished for his mistakes; that was enough to keep Tobias tightly in the officer's grasp, without having to waste any energy on guarding him any better. The officer was cruel; but he was far from stupid. He knew very well how to keep a body and mind barely alive - and totally in his control.
But at that moment Tobias's miserable existence had changed. Purpose came back; with purpose came hope. Still only a faint glimmer of hope, in the lurking depths of a mind shadowed by fear, but it was enough to spark the last of his defiance. And for the first time in he didn't even try to figure out how long, he was brave enough to…
"He's returning," the soldier warned.
Tobias looked down at the screen, to see the door to Rachel's cell slammed open and the officer barging in. He grabbed hold of the tattered, bloody tangle that once had been her beautiful blond hair, yanked her up, and with a single motion threw her out of the room.
Tobias's jaws tightened with resolve to, somehow, get her out of there. At the same time he wanted to shrink together from the mere thought of what the officer would do if he found out.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's Note;
There, finished with that one. Maybe you're able to figure out where the title comes from... or not. It isn't clear yet, but it will be.
Review this one and I'll try to put the next one together. It's patches of text here and there, for the moment, because when I stopped writing this and hid it away it was beginning, part of middle, part of end, and a lot of gaps. Now I have to try to fill them in. Which is harder than it sounds.