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Chapter 20: A Fate Worse Than Death
Kyle glanced around at the cold steel bars. He was back in a cage; a cage he had thought he had escaped forever. Muttering curses, Kyle leaned against the wall and tightened the makeshift bandage on his leg. The Centre hadn't cared much that he was injured. So no help had been offered in caring for the wound. Kyle just hoped it wouldn't bleed too much and cause him to die. Dying was the last thing he wanted.
The door to the cage opened and Kyle found himself face to face with Mr. Raines. A growl escaped his throat and he tried to lunge at the man. But his wounded leg allowed for no such thing and he was down before he could get up. Mr. Raines just smiled.
"I've missed you, Kyle." Mr. Raines said, wheezing ever so slightly. Kyle turned his head. "You were going to be my greatest achievement. But you were stolen before that could happen. Well, plans change; technology advances." A glint came into his eyes. He beckoned to someone behind him and a man in a white suit rolled a machine into the room. Kyle's curiosity got the best of him.
"What is that thing?" He asked.
"It's what's going to change the world. But, you know, you can only change the world one person at a time." Kyle's eyes widened with fear. He tried to push himself farther back into the room, but to no avail. His leg would not corporate and there really was no place for him to go.
Two sweepers entered the room and yanked Kyle onto his feet. He screamed as the pain in his leg spread all over his body. Fighting was useless. The sweepers slammed him down into a chair and before Kyle could blink, he was securely tied to the chair. The man in the white suit took a sterilizing towel and wiped Kyle's arm with it.
"What are you going to do with me?" He demanded. Another thought wormed its way to the surface. "Where's Jarod? Where's my mom?" He practically screamed. Mr. Raines just smiled.
"They are of no concern to you and after this, they never will be again." A needle was placed in the crook of his elbow and Kyle felt a drug of some kind enter him. He struggled, but it was useless. The machine was hooked up to him and he felt energy start to bombard his senses. His mind screamed for release, but there was nothing he could do. Mr. Raines leaned over in front of Kyle, until he was face to face with the incoherent young man.
"Now, listen carefully, Kyle. Catherine Parker did not do anything helpful for you. She stole you from a place that cared for you. She ruined all your chances for glory and greatness. And you get to decide whether or not she lives or dies." All the training from years ago resurfaced back into Kyle's brain. Yes, he decided who lived or died. Yes, he… NO!
His mind fought against the lies. All the lies this man was feeding him. But it was too hard. Too hard. The machine and drug combined made him weak, and Kyle knew that. Mom. He thought, holding onto her image, hoping beyond hope that it would help him combat the darkness. But the darkness was stronger. Much stronger.
"You decide who lives or dies!" Raines hissed into the young man's ear. "You decided you lives or dies." Kyle gave up in that moment. There was no use fighting the voice inside his head.
"I decide who lives or dies." And then the merciful blackness over took him.
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Catherine struggled against the bonds that held her to the chair, but to no avail. With two sweepers watching her every move and the cameras that were recording it all on a disk, Catherine knew that escaping was unlikely. She gave up and sunk back into the chair, gearing herself up for what was the come. The door opened; she paid it no attention.
"Catherine." Her head snapped up and she found herself looking at Mr. Parker. "Catherine, I didn't believe it when they told me they found you. It's been so long." Husband took a step closer to wife, but Catherine withdrew the best she could.
"What's the matter? Haven't you missed me?" Mr. Parker asked, sitting down in another chair which was across from Catherine.
"I don't know." Catherine replied, looking at the wall. "So much has changed and I haven't seen you in so long." She looked at him and despite the situation, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "You're looking well, James."
"You don't look too bad yourself, Catherine." He smiled. He hated to admit it, but he'd missed his wife very much over the pass years. It was good to see her again.
"Thank you. James, where's Jarod and Kyle? Are they all right?" Catherine asked, pleading with her eyes for Mr. Parker to tell her the truth. Mr. Parker shifted uncomfortably in his seat. What could he tell her?
"I think so." Was all he said, though Catherine obviously didn't believe him.
"This is the Centre. Things are never all right here. Where are they? Can I see them? Why won't you let me know?" Her eyes flashed and Mr. Parker was about to reply when the door was thrown open again. Mr. Raines stood there.
"Sorry, Mr. Parker, but I need Catherine for a little while." The two sweepers who had impassively been watching the exchange between husband and wife woke up and undid Catherine's bonds. Yanking her to her feet, they proceeded to march her out of the cell. Mr. Parker, however, interposed himself between his wife and the door.
"What's going on, Mr. Raines? Where are you taking my wife?"
"It's none of your business." He nodded at the sweepers who shoved Mr. Parker out of the way and disappeared down the hall with Catherine. Mr. Parker made a move to follow, but was stopped by another two sweepers who had been hidden behind Raines.
"Don't even think about it. I have direct orders to give Catherine a little… reeducation." Mr. Raines smirked. Mr. Parker fell back into the chair and put his head in his hands. But there was nothing he could do. Raines was operating on an order far above him. Mr. Parker sighed and silently prayed that whatever was planned for Catherine, that she would live through it.
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Catherine was shoved down the hall. She stumbled only to be hit again. It took all her resolve not to cry, but she managed. They got into an elevator and started going down. Catherine wondered where they were going. Obviously not all the way down to sub-level 27. The elevator stopped (at sub-level 24, she saw) and Catherine was shoved out.
"Where are you taking me?" She demanded of her captors. The sweepers just sneered at her.
"You'll see." One of the sweepers said, as they shoved her along. Catherine winced at the pain in her shoulder, but gave no other signs that it hurt. She was getting too old for this sort of thing.
They walked through a door and Catherine saw they were on a platform overlooking an arena like area. What struck her funny was the fact that there was a cage in the middle of the floor. The sweepers thrust her into a chair and securely tied her. Catherine didn't struggle, knowing it would be useless. Mr. Raines stepped out of the shadows.
"Hello again, Catherine. How are you doing this fine day?" He wheezed. Catherine resisted the urge to spit in his face.
"What's this all about, Raines? I can see you haven't changed in all these years." Mr. Raines inclined his head toward her.
"No, but you have. You've become soft in caring for these boys. And I wonder…" He said, leaning so that he was face to face with Catherine. "… What Catherine Parker would do if she saw one of them injured?"
"What are you planning on doing?" Catherine hissed, fear flooding her eyes.
"Oh, nothing too bad, I assure you. But, tell me, where's the money and information Jarod hacked out of the Centre files?" Catherine looked at him, confused.
"Information? I don't know anything about any information or money. He was supposed to stay away from the Centre."
"You lie." Mr. Raines nodded toward the arena and two sweepers appeared, dragging a beaten up Kyle between them.
"Kyle! What have you done to him?" Catherine shouted, suddenly anxious to be out of the bonds that held her. Mr. Raines smiled as he watched her struggle.
"Oh, just a little reeducation. You know all about that, don't you, Catherine?" Catherine tried to draw back, but her bonds held her fast. "Tell me where the information and money is!"
"I don't know." Catherine whispered. "I never knew."
"Liar!" Mr. Raines shouted. He nodded to the sweepers, who threw Kyle into the cage. Another sweeper, a tall burly man, stepped out of the shadows. In an instant, Catherine saw what was going to happen.
"No. You can't." She shrieked. Mr. Raines ignored her. The sweeper walked over to Kyle who just lay there, not making any move to defend himself. Catherine could see his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, were now dull and lifeless. Everything had been sapped out of him. What had they done to him? A shiver crept up Catherine's spine. Something wasn't right with those eyes.
The sweeper struck Kyle across the back with his leg. Kyle didn't even seem to notice. Tears fell down Catherine's face as she watched the man hit Kyle repeatedly. Blood poured from the gun wound on his leg and more blood came out of the cuts the sweeper was inflicting.
"Please, stop this." Catherine pleaded, looking at Mr. Raines. He just shook his head. The sweeper grabbed Kyle, hoisted him up, and threw him into the bars of the cage. The sound of bone cracking could be heard through out the room.
"No!" Catherine cried, watching her adopted son being beaten. "Stop this, please."
"You refuse to tell me where the information is. So I refuse to stop this… at least not in the way you want me to." An evil smiled curved his lips. Catherine felt a nameless fear rise inside her chest. Something was wrong. She had known that since seeing Kyle's eyes. Mr. Raines raised a device to his mouth and spoke quietly into it.
"You decide who lives or dies." Catherine started at the familiar mantra. Kyle had learned it at the Centre before she had rescued him. It had taken a few months and plenty of coaxing from both Jarod and herself to help him unlearn it. Why was Raines repeating it to him now?
Suddenly, Kyle came to life. His eyes blazed with fury and he grabbed his attacker. The man could do nothing but struggle. Like some animal, devoid of all human emotions, Kyle threw the man down onto the floor. He didn't even seem to feel the pain of his broken arm. Reaching over, he grabbed the man's neck and twisted. The sound of the spine breaking echoed through the room. Kyle stood and looked at Mr. Raines who nodded. Kyle walked to the cage's door and was let out. His broken arm he cradled at his side. No remorse could be seen in his eyes. He was soon led from Catherine's sight.
"You see, nothing can change who he is. Nothing. And now, if you want your son to remain more or less innocent, you'll tell me what I want to know about the information stolen from us."
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Catherine whispered, pain lacing the edges of her words. Raines shook his head.
"You're stronger than I first thought. Apparently it's going to take more than breaking Kyle to break you. But, I'll think of something." Raines turned and walked away. And Catherine broke down, knowing that nothing could save Kyle. He was too far gone. Her sobs echoed through the empty room. What had they done to deserve this? What had Kyle done to deserve being turned back into a monster? For the first time in her life, she wished she was dead. That she never again had to see her children tortured beyond belief. But, Catherine knew death would never come. And that was a fate worse than death.