Thank you guys for being so patient with me. I just recently started school and was working... 16 hour days left little time to write. Plus this one was just hard. I could have gone further but I didn't want to be too, well, gross. My beta thinks it's gross so i fyou have a weak stomach... ummm, hell, suck it up and read it any way. LOL
I got laid off my job two days ago, shitty deal, but gotta look at the good side, I'm gonna be writing more. :)
ps: the thoughts get a little confusing, I put thoughts of others In bold. :)
Chapter Ten
Rielle:
Is she securely bound?
Uh huh.
So, who gets first crack at her when she wakes up?
Flip you for it.
The voices and the obvious subject of the conversation brought me to alertness. The anaesthetic still coursing through my veins kept my body groggy and weak, but it had lost it's affect on my mind, which now pulsed with rage and hatred for the people who now had me imprisoned and tied, nearly naked, to a chair. I could feel the cold steel through my thin cotton underwear and pressing against my bare back and legs. My hands were cuffed to the arms, not behind my back like they usually would do.
With my eyes closed I surveyed the room with other senses. Two males from the sounds of it, and although they were blurred and distorted, I could tell one of them was Tanner, resident SOB, but I had no clue who the second person was. Despite this lack of knowledge I swore on my life he would be the recipient of screaming agony if I got out of these cuffs.
"Her pulse just jumped, I think she's awake now, gentlemen." A third, new and electronic voice, presumably a doctor, maybe even the one who gave me the needle in the first place, informed the others of my newly awakened status. I heard shuffling and decided that opening my eyes wouldn't hurt any; at least I could get a look around.
The room I was stuck in was cold, the stone walls lit dimly with those horrible halogen lights and empty besides the chair I was currently seated on, a metal table with some instruments and a jug sitting to my left. Then, of course, the two men present. By all appearances the doctor was on the other side of the 4 by 8 foot one way mirror in front of me, safely away from any danger, monitoring my pulse and other life signs. By my reflection I could tell I was injured, but not badly enough to warrant medical attention, just a cut or two. The two men, Tanner and another one, stood close by, staring down at my limp and bloody form. Tanner had a look of satisfaction and expectancy and his jaw twitched when our eyes met. The other I ignored for the time being, focussing on the one I thought posed the most danger.
If I was loose, it would be so easy just to reach up and snap his neck. Move a little to the left and snap the other guy's neck. Use the chair to smash the window and take care of the doctor. Slip away.
But no, I couldn't. Not with my body still humming from the anaesthetic and sore from the multiple beatings. Not until I could get these cuffs off. Not until I could think straight.
Tanner got my attention again by giving me a light slap across the face, not enough to turn me but enough to sting. He got the Look of Death in return, but I scolded myself for that. I schooled myself to calmness and distance. Anything else could get me killed.
Tanner noticed my reaction and smiled evilly. "There's my girl. How are you feeling Agent Cyr?"
Call me 'your girl' one more time and I'll feel like ripping you to shreds, bitch. Calm.
Tanner circled around my chair, and I kept my eyes on his rotund form as far as I could, still completely ignoring his companion. I felt his thigh brush my shoulder as he came into view again, blatantly enjoying the view. Calm. "You gave us quite the fight earlier, little girl. I just hope you have some left; I don't want you to break too quickly. I enjoy this part of the procedure the most."
A torture lover. Wonderful. Bring it on, you pussy.
His smile fell when I grinned; just give him a little scare. Sure, I have no fear of torture and interrogation, but it didn't mean I liked it. Just a nice tactic to throw him off balance, instil doubt.
He shook himself a little, leaned downwards and placed his hands almost gently over my bound wrists, his face a mere two inches away from my own. I saw an opportunity. Amateur. "Now, before we get to our little interview, I'd like..." with a sudden snap I put all my strength into butting him in the face with my own forehead. It hurt like a bitch but it was worth it for the wailing pain I heard emit from Tanner and his bloody mouth. I could feel the indent of his teeth on my scalp and idly wondered if he'd lost a tooth, praying he did.
For a moment, while Tanner still screamed like a baby, I admired the contrast of his dark blood against his pale skin, the lighting making the blood appear black. It really was very pretty.
Smack!
The second man kicked at me, hitting me in the chest full on, the force knocking my chair backwards and my head bounced heavily off the floor, leaving me even dizzier than before. My breath was knocked out of me and I was left heaving on the floor as the second man, I'll call him Lab Coat, went to Tanner's assistance. Now staring at the light above me I tried not to be afraid. Fear made you weak, and I couldn't afford any sort of weakness right now.
They left me there on the floor for a few minutes, Tanner apparently getting medical attention from yet another doctor, leaving Lab Coat to discuss things with the doctor on the other side of the mirror. Why he bothered hiding beyond the glass was a mystery to me, we all knew he was there. So while they were in there conversing I rested a little more, closed my eyes and breathed deep, and prepared myself for a long, painful ride.
Abraham:
When I knocked gently on the door I tried to ignore the screams on the other side. I decided against actually going into the chamber where they held young Rielle and opted instead to cower in the back behind the mirror. Although I wanted to see what was going on inside her head I didn't think Tanner would let me do a contact reading, at least not before he could get a crack at her, so instead I wanted to try through the glass once again. Possibly she'd be more willing to share with me than with Tanner, and according to Professor Broom, that would be more likely, as he didn't need me to tell him she despised Tanner thoroughly.
We had discussed it thoroughly before Broom agreed that I should be the one to go into the 'torture chamber' as he called it. He was willing to go in as well, but I knew of his disgust and hatred of any form of pain. I didn't like it either but I felt a little protective of this little old man and his values, and did not want to expose him to such a horrible ordeal unless completely necessary. Anyways, I've seen worse. So I denied him the unpleasantness and went in alone.
Dr. Robbins let me in with a grimace and a clipped greeting of "Good morning, Dr. Sapien." He never liked me much; I knew the gills threw him off a bit. I breathed in deep to flex them, just to make him shudder, and took satisfaction when his frown deepened. Ha! I ignored his feelings of dread and disgust, cleansing my own mind for the job ahead.
Moving further into the room I immediately spotted Rielle, knocked onto the floor, half naked, cuffed to a chair. Ackland, who had a love of old military style interrogation which included the pliers and electroshock, was there also. Tanner was off to the side getting medical attention for... hahaha... a broken nose. Serves him right. I was glad it wasn't Rielle screaming when I first entered, I honestly don't think I could have looked, but now I wanted to laugh out loud realizing that the little girl screams came from a grown man. I must tell Red, he'll have a field day with this.
I couldn't see much from this angle but was relieved to see her uninjured... Yet. There was yet another cut on her head and a bit of bruising, but that was it. Everything else was old scar tissue. I knew she was never a crack-head but I couldn't help but look for track marks on her arms, and was pleased not to find them there. Even her heartbeat was steady and normal according to the machines in front of me. I placed a hand on the glass, wanting to feel her out a bit, make sure there wasn't any mental damage. The sudden rush of thoughts slammed into me and I had to restrain myself from jumping back.
This Is So Uncomfortable My Head Hurts Shit I Hope That Hurt You Prick Damn It I Hope Lavinia's Alright When Are They Going To Sit Me Back Up All The Blood's Rushin' To My Head Hey Waitaminute Someone's In Here With Me... GET OUT!
Astonishingly enough she did it again! The walls came back up and I was forcibly pushed back out of her mind. The mental willpower needed to shove me away was high but this girl did it easily, almost without effort it seemed. I'd only encountered two people who were able to achieve such a feat and it took years of psychological training... it intrigued me.
Ackland was on the move again, and I panicked. He didn't look very happy, face red and hands shaking, and I didn't even have to strain to read his hatred for the girl on the floor. He reached down and lifted her chair back up roughly enough to make Rielle's teeth knock together audibly; I could hear it from my standpoint and inwardly flinched. I could get a better view of her condition now though, and I almost regretted it. She was more bruised than I initially thought, and as a doctor, I was fascinated by the long puckered scar that ran up from just above her panty line up between her breasts, like she had been previously gutted. The line was a few years old, but still an angry red in the more sensitive areas. If I had a chance to I wanted to ask her about it. It would make for a horrific tale in all likelihood but an interesting one.
Ackland paid no heed to her scars; instead he retightened the cuffs on her wrists and feet, keeping himself out of biting range. I connected to him through the mirror and wanted very badly to leave the room afterward, just to get away from the poison I found in there. A War Veteran he was, one that had been through his fair share of pain and death and had the knack of inflicting misery on others. Jumbled recollections of torture and interrogation of Cambodian soldiers and gun-battles in swamps and glee that he would be allowed to re-enact some of his old treasured memories with this frail looking woman who he thought sort of looked like a woman he raped in the 70's. He looked at the instruments on the nearby table with a sort of sick love, remembering a time when he broke 7 fingers, burned and almost drowned the victim before she broke, a record for him... that person died not too long afterwards but Ackland reluctantly gave that woman her props for putting up a fight.
Okay, that's enough of that! I thought as I pulled out... where did Tanner find this person and how could he still be an honoured man within the military? And free to do what he pleased when interrogating a prisoner? Try her again try her again!
Rielle's face was unchanged, slack and bored-looking, even when Ackland stroked the pliers and tested their weight in his large calloused hand. Desperate, I reached out again, and, finding her defences back down again, prodded very gently at her. Let me in.
Rielle:
Oooooooooooooh shit, not the pliers. I HATE the pliers. Skippin' the questioning and going right for the fingers, are we?
Lab Coat grinned, obviously expecting my eyes to widen or some other sign that I was afraid. But he didn't know me all that well.
Let Me In.
I felt a presence, knew he was nearby. Abe.
Please.
So that's what that was! I'd felt a strange thing in my head, almost a prod with a thin finger, while I was still knocked on my back. I glanced at the mirror in front of me, not knowing exactly where he was but wishing I could see him all the same. He'd be a much more pleasant companion than Mr. Lab Coat.
Speaking of which...
"I haven't interrogated a woman in almost 20 years... so; make this fun for me, will you?" Lab Coat placed my index finger in the pliers and very lightly squeezed, as if he thought I didn't know what he meant to do. The old Slow Squeeze and Snap technique, I called it. I sighed impatiently.
"We both know you're a spy, what I'm wondering is, why are you here?" He leaned in dangerously close, caught himself and backed off little, (drat!), all the while slowly squeezing my finger with the pliers. It wasn't too painful as of yet but I knew damned well it would hurt plenty soon enough. Lab Coat was itching to squeeze...
Let Me In!
FUCK OFF!
I heard a thump behind the mirror, and even Lab Coat broke eye contact with me and glanced over his shoulder at the still shuddering glass. Oops, didn't mean to push so hard.
S'alright.
Abe? Get outta here! I'm busy.
Abe's voice sounded strange out of the tank but even weirder reflecting in my own brain. I thought he could read minds, not wander around and leave messages!
Lab Coat,
His Name Is Ackland, Rielle.
Fine. Ackland's focus was back on me and he repeated his question with an accent of pain. "Why are you here?"
I held in a scream as he finally put a lot of pressure on my finger, I could feel the skin break and the heat as the blood pooled at the tip. Be strong, be strong, ignore the pain, just leave, go numb, relax, you've felt worse than this, remember? What's a little finger pressin' in comparison...be silent, be still.
Abraham:
Ackland was putting pressure on the handle, slowly wringing Rielle's finger until it turned bright red, and I had the absurd vision of the tip actually popping like a boil. Outwardly she showed no reaction but inside, she was screaming, ranting, afraid. Inside her head was complete turmoil, her mind was almost completely open for me to explore, and I was hit with a barrage of memories, a strobe effect of imagery. I felt the sun burn my eyes and the sand blast my skin, heard the shrieking winds. I dug deeper and found myself in a little room similar to this one, a little darker, definitely danker, but warm.
When Rielle opened her eyes again I was knocked out of her head. I had absolutely no control of what I saw in there or how long I could remain, it seemed Rielle had all the power when it came to her own mind. Even if it was scattered and hectic, she could still boot me out or show me what she wanted.
Ackland pressed even harder, and bent her finger backwards, again asking that stupid question. And again Rielle kept silent outside but screamed inside.
As the thin bones in her finger crumbled under the pressure, I was hit with strobe-images of that room again, stone walls and a mildew scent, full of men and something that emitted an electrical hum. The men were blurry, like the eyes I was looking out from brimmed with unshed tears. Their owner didn't scream then and she didn't scream now.
What the hell?
Visibly, she barely even flinched when the bone snapped and the blood flowed. It appeared more of a physical habit reaction than a jolt of pain. I think Ackland was angered by her lack of howling and detached the bloody pliers from her mashed finger. I could hear the wet crunch from behind the mirror.
With my eyes open like this I was seeing double, through the eyes of the victim plus through my own. I never expected to feel the ghost of pain I felt in my own fingers, the bruising pain in my own face. This was a strange side-effect of her inviting me to partial access, one I've felt before but never in the realm of torture. Again I wondered where she learned such ability.
Ackland huffed and dropped the gore-spattered tool back on the little metal table and backed off a couple of feet, observing his prey. He was as confused as I was.
Enough. I thought, feeling nauseous from all the blood and the smells and the scenery. I will not let this happen any longer.
Ackland smacked her across the face to get her attention. It worked. Rielle's eyes snapped open and glinted with such rage and hatred that it almost knocked me back. Ackland didn't react at all.
"Fine. You can act tough all you want, but I'm not going to stop this until you say something." Ackland picked up what appeared to be a bottle opener. Changed his mind from mashing the fingers to just breaking them, the sick SOB.
"Something." Rielle growled under her breathe.
I didn't laugh. Sarcasm in a situation like this wasn't very smart, and likely to anger Ackland even more. A neutral interrogator was less likely to take things personally, an angry one would make the pain last longer than he or she should. And from what I read from Ackland's warped psyche, he would enjoy making her bleed for as long as it took, or longer.
Ackland didn't hesitate to loop the bottle opener around her middle finger and snap it, but this time Rielle was not prepared for it. Her sudden scream reverberated off the stone walls, through the mirror and cut deeply into my conscience. Stop this NOW!
There was barely any blood this time, only a cut from where the opener pierced her skin, a thin line of crimson staining her olive skin. I wanted to run from the room, break down the other door and spirit the girl away from all this hell, but the little red cut held me, I stared at it for what seemed like hours.
"Dr. Sapien?"
I forgot there was another doctor in the same room with me. I snapped out of it immediately, turned and grabbed the man by the lapels and shook him soundly. "Stop this, right...fucking... NOW." I rarely cursed but this just showed how affected I was by seeing pointless torture. Rielle would never speak, that much was clear. One didn't have to be psychic to see it either.
Dr. Robbins' was so afraid, so surprised that someone like me, a supposed pacifist, just more or less threatened him and physically attacked him. I felt his fear and grinned inside once again. Sometimes fear could be useful. Too bad Hellboy wasn't here as well; the poor man would have urinated himself.
"I can't do anything! I just monitor her life signs, that's it!"
"Well, where did they take Tanner?"
"Medical Center, but he won't do anything either!"
I guess I have to deal with Ackland directly. I wanted to get Broom and make him do something about this, stop it, but to me it felt like running to daddy to tattle on someone. I'd have to do this myself.
I detached my hands from Dr.Robbins' lab coat and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me, simultaneously ignoring the sound of a snap of yet another finger, probably the ring-finger. This time I was not trying to feel her pain, purposely staying out of her head and blocking off any radiating emotion, knowing it would just blur my own purpose and make me hesitate. Hesitation now would just make me think too hard about what I was about to do.
Rielle:
Three out of five. I wondered if he was going to go for the pinkie or the thumb next as I watched him shake a little blood off of the bottle opener. I forgot about those things, better than the pliers for breakage but not so good for crushing. I guess I pissed him off.
I regretted screaming earlier. Ackland caught me off guard and now I was having difficulty detaching myself again. I could no longer feel Abe rooting around in my brain so I didn't have anything else to focus on but the pain. My hand throbbed and I felt nauseous. I felt weak. Can't believe I almost broke after only three fingers, I've lost my touch. At least the remnants of the anaesthetic dulled the pain a smidgeon.
Ackland's face was beaded with sweat and his eyes were bloodshot, but he seemed to be enjoying what he was doing from his wide grin. I think he was a little put off by my lack of reaction a few minutes ago but he got his energy and will back after I screamed. I'd have to throw him off again.
Before I could do anything and before he could loop the opener around any other extremities, the door slammed open with a bang and Ackland jumped.
Red? I couldn't see around Ackland's bulk, his body blocked my view of the door, but I assumed it was Hellboy from the strength behind the slam.
"Back off, Ackland." Abe! Waitaminute, Abe?
Ackland backed away a little and turned to face Abe full on. His stance didn't indicate aggression but he was obviously pissed about the interruption in his playtime. I couldn't see his face but his shoulders were straight and back curved like he was trying to puff out his already fat chest, trying to be a manly man in front of someone who appeared thin and weak.
He dropped the opener on the metal table and wiped his hands off with a rag, the crimson staining the pure white cloth. "Dr. Sapien." He said in greeting, stepping forward so I could now see my friend, funny, he's a friend now when you avoided him so much not 24 hours ago, and he put out a hand as if he expected Abe to shake with him.
Like I thought Abe didn't take it, instead stepped around him and stood in front of me. I'd never seen him out of his tank before. His movements were smooth and graceful, like a dancer, but he also had the musculature of a warrior and a couple of scars to prove it. The breathing apparatus around his neck and the goggles almost gave him a ninja look, actually. I was impressed.
He kneeled in front of me, tilting his head to one side, and I felt embarrassed for a moment, sitting here bloody and bruised in my gitch. His scrutiny went further than physical, but not much, not the full permissive invasion as earlier. I looked into his dark eyes and smiled weakly. His intentions were not obvious but I had my hopes.
Honestly, I couldn't expect much. I had betrayed them after they treated me and Lavinia so well, I had kept secrets and I had injured quite a few people when they brought me in. Why should he help me when I wasn't honest with them like I promised?
"May I?" Said Abe, lifting one hand to my face, but not close enough to touch yet. He was asking permission again. I felt even shittier that he kept his word when I wouldn't keep mine. But, I wasn't going to be dumb about this. I was not going to let him run around and seek answers in my brain and then just walk off and leave me here with this psychopath torturer.
"I wouldn't do that."
Goddamned mind readers!
Ackland groaned. "Dr. Sapien, what are you trying to pull?"
Abe frowned, doing his best to wink at me before facing Ackland once again. "I'm not trying to pull anything, Ackland. I am merely checking on the patient's mental status. Do you have a problem with that?"
Ackland wiped his sweaty brow with the same bloody rag he cleaned his hands off with and nodded. "Yeah, I do have a problem with that. Tanner said not to allow any of you freaks in here. He said you people have a weak spot for this woman." Ackland said this in a prissy voice, derisive of their so called 'feelings' for me. He continued in an authoritative tone, "If you want to 'monitor her status' I suggest you go check the equipment in the other room."
Call him a freak again asshole and I'll put your head through the wall. Prick.
Abe must have heard that because he looked over his shoulder and smiled. I huffed a bit. I couldn't help but be defensive! I liked this bunch, I didn't like Ackland.
"Well, I'm sorry to have to pull rank on you, but as your superior, I advise you to watch your tone and your words."
"Pull rank? Please. You may outrank me but when it comes down to it, Tanner's the boss, and I got my orders directly from him." Ackland found something on the table that piqued his interest and fondled it a little.
"Dr. Broom actually outranks Tanner, and I got MY orders from him to bring Agent Cyr out for a chat."
Somehow I had the feeling Abe just lyed his little blue bum off with that one.
"A chat? A fucking Chat? Are you people insane? She'll just escape." His voice rose to an annoyingly high pitch when he said 'insane'. Wiener.
"Oh, I doubt it." Abe said, once again looking over his shoulder at me. He was right, in my condition I'd be lucky if I could walk properly, let alone beat everyone up and stealthily escape, especially with my trigger finger mashed into goo. "Frankly, you have no choice in the matter, Ackland."
"Like hell I don't."
Oh boy, he's sure pissed off now. I thought as his face steadily turned darker and darker crimson. The vein in Ackland's forehead pulsed. I thought he'd jump on Abe right then and there and beat him to death.
I Would Really Like To See Him Try, came a floating voice in my head. Bloody Abe. Maybe he was stronger than he looked. He was obviously angrier than he appeared to be, but then I saw the telltale signs in his posture, and surprisingly his gills. They were puffed and a little discoloured, but I couldn't tell for sure as I didn't know his body all that well. I guess it was an interpretation in the end but it seemed accurate.
Ackland moved forward towards us with a little ball-peen hammer clutched in his hairy mitt, not obviously menacing but with a hint of 'get out of my way' in his walk. Abe didn't move a muscle except the gills which again puffed out.
Abe MOVE! I screamed inside my own head, sure a little bit of him was still there. Don't you get yourself hurt over me, I can take this.
I Know. I Would Just Rather You Not Have To.
I growled out loud and tried to wiggle out of the cuffs, knowing damned well I wouldn't but the effort somehow made me feel better... maybe I could pull a Hulk and just break the chair. HA!
"Move, Doctor, or I'll have to make you." Ackland was up nose to... uh, nose, with Abe, breathing heavily, panting. Abe still didn't move. I wanted to kick him out of the way. No, I wasn't masochistic and loving the torture, I just didn't want this guy injured for my sake. For all of Abe's posturing I honestly didn't think he could take on Ackland in a hand to hand physical battle and win.
"Make me? You like making people do things, don't you? You like to force people to do what you please. If they don't, you like to beat them down; it's a thrill to you, isn't it?" Abe didn't back down, not one inch. "Like the woman you beat and raped. She didn't want you, did she? She thought you were disgusting, and that angered you...so you beat her to death in the alley behind the bar. You were caught but never reprimanded, were you?"
"Shut up." Ackland's voice shook.
Abe's body was tensed now, the muscles in his legs rippled with restraint. "How would you like to feel it from her perspective?"
In a flash, Abe had grabbed Ackland's head between his hands and pushed downwards, bringing his adversary to his knees. Ackland shrieked and struggled but Abe would not release him. His eyes snapped shut and I could almost feel the pulse in which Abe connected to Ackland and forced him to see what Abe wanted him to see. Ackland, I don't envy you right now. I didn't know what Abe was showing him but from the look on my tormenter's face it wasn't pretty.
Abe kept him there on the floor, reliving whatever it was that disturbed him, for almost a minute before finally letting him drop the rest of the way down. Ackland kept screaming and wriggling and kicking and crying. The man behind the glass came running into the room to his aid, and Abe stepped back, victorious.
He then turned to me. "There are other ways to beat an opponent into submission, Rielle."
At that moment I was actually afraid of Abe. The power inherent in those words made me shake in my chair, and I promised myself I would never piss him off as much as Ackland did. His screams followed us out of the room and down the hall as men in lab coats ran to his rescue.