Chapter Warnings: Torture, mild gore, mild swearing
"In the blink of an eye, I can see through your eyes. As I'm lying awake, I'm still hearing the cries and it hurts… hurts me so bad." A Shot in the Dark (Within Temptation)
Face took a sip of liquid courage from one of the beers before he powered up his laptop and inserted the disc marked 'Subject 21.'
The video was filmed with a startling quality Face expected he'd resent later. The sound was a bit tricky, needing to be turned up in some places and down in others but the images were clear. It started out calmly enough, the timestamp in the lower corner declaring it just a day before Face had received the frantic call from Murdock. Face was looking down into a small grey room from where the camera was positioned in the upper left-hand corner. He watched in silence and growing apprehension as Murdock was questioned endlessly on everything and nothing. He looked just like normal, with his khaki pants, worn t-shirt, leather jacket and red cap. It was surreal to see him like that now when only a little while ago, Face had seen him cringing and beaten almost beyond recognition.
Murdock had tried tossing a few jokes in with his answers but each one was shot down like a one-winged duck by Brenner's impassive stare. When the questions finally ended, Murdock left and Brenner took out a hand-held recording device.
"Psychiatric notes on patient H.M. Murdock." The doctor looked over his notes as he spoke, his back turned to the camera. "I have met with several of the patients here and have found the patients in rooms…" He flipped a few pages back in his notes. "247 and 139 to be of particular interest due to their backgrounds in military and intelligence. They shall be considered for later study. However, I have selected Mister Murdock to be my next subject, as my… benefactor, Lynch, has requested. The purpose of this study is to test and record the results of pain, fear and other such tools on the human mind. Still working with lesser minds for the time being, though one trained to the extent of a military man will prove a fascinating study." The idea that Brenner considered Murdock a 'lesser mind' added a tint of anger to Face's nerves. "Note: this Lynch, though dull and utterly idiotic, has the power to grant me a hospital of my own in which to conduct further experiments. Said hospital, complete with staff and subjects and situated in a location unknown to prying authorities, shall be my prize in return for any information on Lynch's rogue team." So that's what Lynch had promised him… a whole hospital to torture and kill in without anyone disturbing him. The very idea turned Face's stomach but he didn't have long to dwell on it.
The screen changed and when Face saw Murdock, the unease in the pit of his stomach increased significantly, because he recognized the clothes his friend was wearing: Murdock was wearing the exact same pajama pants and Captain America t-shirt back at the hotel, though here they were clean and unbloodied under the light-blue bathrobe he wore. Anger replaced apprehension when Brenner ordered his flunkies to restrain Murdock. The pilot struggled, shouting a stream of angry phrases like "Don't touch me! Get your hands off me!" that sent Face back nearly two years, to the court martial and the sight of the MPs dragging his friend away bodily despite his protests and Face's efforts to stop them.
One of the men held up a needle. Drugs… and judging by Murdock's reaction, not one he recognized. How the zany pilot could recognize a drug just by its color and dosage was beyond Face, but he'd done it time and time again which made his fearful response all the more worrying.
And Murdock hated needles, ever since Mexico, when they'd landed back at base and stopped by the infirmary for their various ailments, only to find out that their new pilot had been shot full of three different kinds of drugs and by all human standards should've been drooling into the carpet when they'd found him. He'd admitted that the doctors in Mexico were less gentle than those in the States and had gone on to describe the 'jabbing, stabbing, poking, prodding, tweaking, and peeking' he'd been subjected to. In the end, the whole team had agreed: no more needles unless absolutely necessary. Murdock had been fine with IVs and the small doses of painkillers the field medics had administered for injuries after their missions but this was different.
The minutes passed and with each one, Face's anger grew. Not long after they'd injected Murdock, the pilot had escaped out the door and moments later, Face's view changed from the bland grey room to a padded one. The timestamp confirmed his suspicions this footage of the new room had been taken after Face had gotten that frantic phone call. Murdock must've called him soon after he'd fled the first room. The camera was now situated in the corner of the ceiling to the right of the door, looking down on the group as Murdock was shoved into the room, followed by Brenner and his guards.
The soldiers dressed as orderlies roughed up the pilot who didn't seem to be able to see his attackers, though he managed to land several glancing blows. Face took the brief span of time after the men left to remind himself to breathe and not to grit his teeth. He was already fuming and he knew for a fact that things were only going to get worse from here on. Before he could more than momentarily consider taking a break, the men came back. Murdock hadn't moved from where he'd fallen and two new guards entered, rolled him over and bound his hands with the dark zip tie. Then an audio file began to play over the video and Brenner's voice spoke casually from the computer speakers.
"Subject 21. My first injection seems to have had an extreme effect on the subject. The original beginning dose caused muscle tremors, vision disturbances, possible hallucinations and brief but acute fear. Dosage will be adjusted to provide a slow building but longer lasting effect. In the meantime, I've had my equipment brought in and installed for the first session. Subject will be kept sedated until installation is complete." The audio ended with a click and the video flicked off, coming back in a second or so later.
The time was right about when Face had been sitting in the diner, talking to Lacy after she'd come back from the hospital. This was Murdock's first 'session' and the 'equipment' Brenner had installed was a chair out of some science-fiction horror movie. And Face felt like a teen watching that movie and begging the lead actor not to go into the dark basement alone… only this time he was silently begging his friend not to sit in that chair even though he knew that it would happen one way or another because two burly guards had slipped through the door and were glaring at Murdock silently, one of them a familiar bald-headed brute. Face felt a distinct twinge of 'Why the hell did I think watching this was a good idea' as Murdock settled himself awkwardly in the chair and was strapped down by the orderlies.
Face knew about Murdock's apparent immunity to electroshock therapy. Murdock had told them all about it after he'd nearly fried himself when he'd tried to scale an electric fence. He'd come away from that with no more than burnt hands, a jittery sort of energy, and the ability to rub his hands together then touch someone and deliver a small static shock. That had worn off before the end of the mission but the point was, Murdock's experiences with electric shocks had, so far, been fairly harmless… but Face got the distinct feeling that this wouldn't be.
Of course, Murdock wasn't an idiot. If anything, he was a secret and possibly evil genius and Face knew the captain had probably already realized that this wasn't any normal electro-therapy. In fact, the look he was giving Brenner as the doc reclined the chair was that of a soldier sizing up the enemy. But there was no way to prepare for what the session would ultimately entail… and it was worse than Face had thought. Seeing his best friend electrocuted by that fence had been disturbing enough, even when the guy had popped right up afterwards and enjoyed the rest of the day shocking Bosco whenever he could. Seeing the surprise and pain in his friend's eyes now made Face wish he could knock a few of the sadistic doctor's teeth out, but before he could contemplate driving back to the VA to do so, Brenner stopped the shocks and gave Murdock a chance to speak.
The earnest look on the captain's face was just a bit too sincere to be real and Face felt a weight of dread drag on his chest. He knew Murdock wouldn't give them up. That wasn't what he was afraid of. It was the fact that Murdock had a tendency to egg the enemy on, or at least mock and jabber and sing until whoever had him captive lost their temper – or their minds – and made a mistake. And it wasn't out of stupidity either. Murdock knew exactly what he was doing and frankly, Face wished he had the guts to do it too but Murdock's body was used to a whole different level of punishing.
The captain had been through several nasty crashes – because no matter how well you fly, missiles bring down planes and you can't dodge them all – and years in all kinds of institutions and in the army had gifted the pilot's frame with an uncanny tensile strength. Murdock did it because he knew he could take it, recover from it, and deal it back when the time came but he'd never had to use this method against a sadistic lunatic like Brenner. Taunting would only lead to worse and worse horrors and Brenner didn't strike Face as the type to make a mistake easily.
"Y-Yeah, um… see, Doc, I- I jus' want t'tell you how I'm feelin'. Gotta make you understand." Murdock began to grin as his words changed to song. "I'm never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around an' desert you!" Face might've laughed if the situation weren't so dire. Only Murdock would dare to rick-roll his torturer. The doctor shoved the bar back between Murdock's teeth but the pilot kept singing, muffled but somehow sounding cheerful. Then the words were cut off and Murdock let out a brief, harsh cry at the intensity of the shock. That sound alone was enough to make Face want to destroy the disc in every violent way possible but instead he ground his teeth and tried to keep his fingernails from ripping into the leather arms of his seat.
Murdock asked Brenner what he was really looking for, smart enough to know he wasn't the real target, but the doctor's answer chilled Face to the heart. 'What I want is to watch you fade…" Hell… the man was cold, cruel, evil, and Face could see the same fear he felt mirrored in Murdock's quickened breathing and wild eyes.
Then came Murdock's whispered "El Diablo," which Face had thought was a joke, just Murdock calling Brenner a name, right? But the abject terror in his friend's expression suggested this was no joke. With that drug they'd given him, it could very well be his reality right now. Whatever it was, Brenner accepted the new name with a sickening pleasure and didn't even bother putting the rubber bar back in Murdock's mouth before he started the shocks again. Face only realized he'd been holding his breath when it ended and Murdock slumped back, leg dripping blood. He coughed more redness onto the headrest and Face was thankful for the fact that the session ended right then because he wasn't looking. He'd shut his eyes, breathing slow and deep to quell the hot flush of fear in his chest as his heart pounded too hard. Like some scared kid watching a horror movie… this was going to be harder than he'd anticipated.
The thugs tossed Murdock in a corner where he jerkily applied pressure to his leg and eventually either fell asleep or passed out. Either way, Brenner's next log was the voice over for the residual spasms that rippled through Murdock's body off and on.
"Subject 21. My first session with the subject yielded more information than I'd expected. The drug appears to be working well with the adjusted dosage and the subject will be injected regularly in order to facilitate the drug's buildup in his system. The shocks were also successful despite my concerns regarding Subject 21's previous experience with electroshock therapy. Between sessions, he shall be hooked to an IV drip of fluids and other such essentials so as to negate the need for regular feeding and watering.
On a more personal note the drug has caused some fascinating hallucinations that I shall attempt to expand upon in later notes. Also, the merest mention of his team appears to have a protective, defiant effect on the subject. As long as this is in place, he may continue to refuse information. Consider possible solutions to break the bond."
The audio clip ended, the screen went dark, and Face expected to come in a few hours, maybe a day later to find Murdock being prepared for his next session. What he hadn't expected was for the screen to flick back on to a scene of utter chaos. Face only got a second or two to register that two heavily built guards had entered, set up the IV stand and reached for Murdock, before the captain had lashed out with a glint of metal in his hand. The next minute or so was filled with fighting and for one brief, glorious moment, Face thought Murdock might just escape. But Brenner was at the door and Face had to remind himself that this wasn't a live feed. He already knew how this story ended, he just needed to know how it had progressed.
It grew increasingly difficult to keep from shredding the leather seat arms as the men forced Murdock into the chair and tried time and again to get an IV set up. For a few seconds, Murdock's rage-filled eyes met Face's, then the lights brightened and Murdock shut his eyes tightly, snarling and struggling until the men gave up and backed off at a word from their boss. Face had a very real, very strong urge to stop watching now because Brenner was turning the chair's dial up to twice the level he'd left off at last time. Murdock, though, seemed to accept that it was going to happen and he turned away from Brenner, looking instead at the men to his right, one of whom still had a hand to his bloody face. Probably the same man Face had seen in the halls.
A short-lived sense of satisfaction touched at the fear in Face's chest at the thought of the scars his friend had left but that feeling quickly fled when Murdock's – stupidly brave and defiant – recitation of the Ranger's Creed was cut off as every inch of the captain tensed, his back arching and his eyes wide. He didn't appear to be breathing, his teeth clenched tight and his face turning red. It only lasted seconds, just a handful of seconds, but when it ended, Murdock looked twice as bad as when it had begun. The captain's eyes stayed open wide, staring blankly upward and he was drawing in harsh, rattling breaths through his mouth as his nose bled trails of red down to his chin.
He didn't even blink when the men hooked him up to the IV and left, looking pretty rattled themselves. Face honestly thought he was hearing things when Murdock spoke. It was only after the last stilted lines of the Creed and after Murdock's eyes slowly closed that Face let himself pause the video. He stumbled out the side door of the van and stood there in the dark parking lot, hands on his knees, breathing in the cool, steadying air. He was thankful that he'd thought to park away from the rest-stop gas station, in the shadow of a few trees where no one would notice him.
When he finally felt like he wasn't going to be sick, he slipped back inside, shut the door and continued. The camera stayed on now, the whole time Murdock slept. Brenner's voice filled Face with revulsion as the doctor narrated another note.
"Subject 21. Early this morning Subject 21 ambushed two of my… assistants." The way he said it suggested these assistants hadn't been his idea. They were likely more of Lynch's agents just sent to do Brenner's dirty work. "Subject was duly punished but exhibited defiant tendencies. Dosage adjusted to prevent further outbursts and the experiment shall proceed as planned. Monitoring equipment to be kept on at all times. Note: subject appears apprehensive of the room's corner just beneath camera. Possible focal point for hallucinations. Further observation needed. Possible avenue for further experimentation."
Face waited a few minutes before fast forwarding through Murdock's slumber. Like Brenner had said, the camera stayed on the whole time and there was little to no change in the scene for hours. Only Murdock shifting in the chair's hold now and then. It wasn't till that night that things started to happen again. Face started the tape as two men entered the room with a metal bucket. Murdock was twisting and muttering in his sleep, a frown creasing his brow and a tenseness to his body that Face knew meant nightmares. He'd been on night watch enough times to know how each of his friends dealt with the inevitable nightmares war brought on.
Hannibal didn't do much, just tensed and his fingers twitched like he was holding a gun and wanted to fire. Bosco frowned and clenched his fists. Murdock, though, would toss and turn, mumble and sometimes even shout in his sleep. There had been a couple times when the team had gone into enemy territory on a mission and were forced to camp behind enemy lines. When Murdock suffered nightmares so close to unfriendly ears, Face and the others had been forced to hold the captain down with a hand over his mouth until he either calmed or woke up and teased them, saying that if they wanted to share sleeping bags, they only had to ask.
Naturally, the resulting array of disgusted faces had sent the pilot into a fit of giggles but it had always been unnerving to have Murdock go from screaming dead soldier's names to cackling with glee.
This time, though, he wished things would go the same way. He wished Murdock would laugh and spit water back at the men who'd just drenched him. He wished for anything but that scared look and the way his friend's chest strained against the leather strap with every sharp breath. Murdock's eyes fell on the camera and widened, jaw clenched tightly around the rubber bar in his mouth. The men traded their now empty bucket for a full one passed through the half-open door and launched its contents over their prisoner again. Murdock gasped and the men laughed, joking with one another as they left. Brenner slipped inside before the door closed. Murdock blinked, then jumped as Brenner swept forward, obviously intent on fueling whatever hallucinations Murdock was having. And whatever Murdock saw seemed to scare the living daylights out of him.
Again, Murdock refused to tell the man anything but this time, he seemed less defiant if still determined. After the first shock, Murdock shut his eyes, lips moving mutely around the bar. Face recognized it in an instant. He was making a wall, assigning a fact, quote, song, anything harmless he could think of to each brick and building a mental wall between the enemy and any important information with a practiced speed that Face had never been able to beat. Hannibal had taught all three of them but Murdock was always the fastest, possibly due to his massive mental library of movie quotes, song lyrics and just random trivia. Face watched the last brick slide into place mere seconds before the electricity tore through Murdock's body once more.
The next time Brenner demanded information, Murdock only muttered a jumble of words in Spanish. There was a pause and it was obvious by the puzzled look on the man's face that Brenner didn't know a word of Spanish. Murdock's translation was slow and slurred but Face could hear just the barest hint of the original E.L.O. song's tune in the pilot's voice.
"Won'drous is our gr't blue sh-ship th't sails 'round th' mighty sun an' joy f'r everyone th't rides al'ng." The doctor didn't hesitate to shove the bar between Murdock's unresisting teeth and send yet another blast of pain through his body. An hour passed… and another. Murdock was shocked, beaten, tortured so brutally that every shock drew horrible, desperate screams and every time he was left alone – which were few and far between – was filled with restless slumber and soft groans. Several times, Face thought he'd be sick and had to pause the video so he could step outside and just breathe, letting the chill in the air occupy his mind instead of his friend's agonized cries. Then he'd gone back in and started again.
Murdock was definitely hallucinating now, shrinking away from and striking out at unseen enemies. The time and date at the bottom of the screen changed from when Face and Hannibal had argued in the subway, to the following day, when they'd captured the agents. In that time, there was little change to Murdock's surroundings. There were no more visits from Brenner, no more shocks, and the guards only came when the captain slept, to add or remove an IV rack or administer another injection. Murdock grew more and more listless, the IV fluids keeping him alive but undernourished. Face could almost see the health and strength leaving his friend's body and it was enough to make him clench his fists so tightly his nails cut into his palms.
Brenner's voice returned again, speaking over the scene of Murdock slumped in the corner.
"Subject is to be kept on the injection schedule with lighting lowered until further preparations are complete. I shall, however, be offering the subject a final opportunity to give me the information my employer has requested. If he refuses, I shall consider my part of the agreement complete and continue with the experiment despite the risk to said information."
The recording ended with a click and Face felt the dragging weight of dread in his chest. Murdock still lay in the corner, his hurt leg stretched out and darkened by dried blood. He didn't move when the door opened and Brenner stepped in. In fact, he didn't react at all until the doctor knelt beside him and took his pulse. Even then, his only response was a barely visible flinch.
Brenner took his measurements with a butcher's scale and all the detachment of a farmer evaluating his livestock. The results were as Face had expected. Malnourished and dehydrated, Murdock had lost several pounds of weight already and was suffering from the drugs they had him on. The hallucinations and weakness were only getting worse and it sent another gut-wrenching twist through Face's chest to hear his friend's mumbled response to Brenner's ultimatum.
"I choose Hell."
It would've been heartbreaking and humbling enough to know his friend would choose torture, and likely death, over giving them up, but knowing the man was also fighting his inner demons as well, fighting hallucinations and pain, starvation and exhaustion…. In his mind, Murdock was in Hell… and he chose to protect them all the same. It left Face speechless, a breath of shock wrenched from him that was more a sob than a sigh. Brenner left without another word.
It wasn't until about the time Face was fighting Kyle in the alley, that he returned. But first came another log.
"The experiment has progressed according to plan, yet the subject still refuses to offer any information. Isolation, physical stressors, and an increased dose have yielded no result. Possible solution – exploit subject's emotional attachments."
Face never saw the video but he could guess what it was. Duplicates, a faked team. They wouldn't even have to look much like the real deal to convince Murdock now, not with all the drugs in his system. But Face didn't need to see the clip to hate Brenner even deeper for making it… for what it did to Murdock. The thin, scruffy-haired man watched, flinching and sending desperate, horrified looks at Brenner who just looked back at him, speaking calmly.
"I must've judged them wrong. They crept in here last night. Unfortunately for them… we were ready."
Face grit his teeth, clenched his fists and willed his friend to keep his cool but he could already see the tension in Murdock's form and the fire steadily growing in his eyes that Brenner seemed oblivious to. He just kept talking, clearly trying to get Murdock worked up, but the tearful pleading and bargaining the doctor likely expected was not going to happen.
Murdock was livid.
Face didn't need a clear image to recognize that tension, that set to Murdock's jaw as a dangerous, murderous rage.
"In the end, we had to break his arm to keep him in check, and still he demanded we let him see you… even as the bone snapped clean in-"
Murdock moved with astounding speed and in the blink of an eye, the doctor was on the ground, Murdock's bound hands at his throat. By the time the guards had wrestled Murdock off, Brenner was sporting a lovely choker of bruises but the doctor's freedom was short-lived. The raging captain broke free again and charged, shouting at Brenner in an African dialect Face couldn't even recognize, but the tone, the raw hatred in it, got the message across without translation.
Murdock's fists connected with Brenner's jaw but the guards caught the enraged prisoner before he could go any further. One rushed to the chair and switched it on as the other took a few more hard hits before he shoved Murdock roughly back against the metal chair. The bound hands just barely touched the chair's arm but it was enough to send a powerful shock through his thin frame. Murdock convulsed, gasping for breath as the electricity ran through the metal frame and into his body.
The guard didn't shut it down until his comrade had escorted Brenner safely outside. The pain left Murdock lying there on his back, shuddering while the remaining guard stood watch by the door. Then, Brenner's voice spoke again. He must've recorded the log after seeing to his wounds because the only indication of his being strangled was a slight huskiness in his voice.
"The subject is proving more resilient than expected. Further physical stressors to be added, along with the psychological component. Restriction of vocal outlet followed by removal of emotional ties."
Not ten minutes later, more men entered and, after moving Murdock's unconscious form over by the back wall, they disassembled the chair and removed it piece by piece. Face's initial response was relief, because how could anything be worse than the jarring cries that still echoed in his ears? But then he remembered the image in the security room and the blood and as he sped up the tape, he had to force his breathing back to normal levels because maybe Murdock wouldn't scream anymore, but he would be hurt… and badly.
Face returned the tape to normal speed at five PM, according to the timestamp when Brenner returned, this time with five guards and three men Face hadn't seen before. The three new men were bound with ties like Murdock and each had a guard escorting them inside. It was the dark Mohawk that put the scene in horrible perspective and Face swore softly. Brenner had look-alikes. Bad ones, because 'Hannibal's' hair was obviously dyed and Face's own decoy looked too young but they were good enough to fool a man hyped up on who knew what drugs and that thought alone caused an enraged nausea to surge in Face's chest.
At a nod from Brenner, the two men not guarding the decoys marched forward and dragged Murdock upright, holding him in a kneeling position while he blinked and swayed.
After examining his prisoner and apparently finding him awake enough to begin, Brenner stepped aside so the sagging pilot could see the men lined up behind him. Face watched, whispering, "No, come on, Murdock… it's not us" and feeling foolish for doing so but Murdock was sending a desperate, pleading look at Brenner that made the horrified pain in Face's chest grow.
"L-Look, don't-"
The doctor ignored him, turning to the guard at Murdock's right whose face bore three long gashes from Murdock's attack and a smile that spoke of a thirst for revenge.
"Hayes, you may begin, but do try and remember the rules."
The guard sneered at Brenner's back as he turned to leave.
"You want to tell him the rules, boss?" The title held no respect and more than a little contempt but Brenner ignored the insubordinate tone and turned sharp eyes on Murdock once more.
"You have twenty-four hours. Stay silent through that time and comply completely and fully with whatever Hayes asks of you and your friends will be spared. Fail and they will die." The instructions were given with a clipped, impatient tone that the guards smirked at.
Hayes turned to his friend at Murdock's left and jerked his head at the door. The second guard left, returning shortly with a small table which he set up in one corner of the room, placing a digital clock on it. Face's attention turned back to Murdock as he spoke, his voice rough.
"H-Hannibal?" Face could hear the unvoiced questions in the name that this imposter obviously couldn't. 'How were you caught? Are you okay? What do I do now? What's the plan?' The silver-haired head turned to Brenner and the voice that spoke next was close to but still not Hannibal's.
"Hey, doc, we didn't sign up for thi-" The man was cut off as the guard beside him drove a fist into his gut. The other two prisoners watched in mute shock as Brenner passed 'Hannibal' without a glance, shutting the padded door behind him.
"Okay, freak..." Hayes drawled, smirking down at his captive. "In case you weren't listening, here's how this is gonna work. If I tell you to do something, you're gonna do it, no questions asked." Murdock glanced up at the man, taking in a breath to speak but he was cut off as Hayes leaned down, speaking in Murdock's ear. "And you're not gonna make a sound, 'cause if you even so much as peep…" Hayes pulled a gun from his waistline, holding it in front of Murdock's face. "I'm gonna blow their heads off." The gun moved, aiming at each prisoner in turn. "One… by… one."
Hayes straightened as Murdock knelt frozen, staring at what he thought was his team. They stared back, just as shocked and terrified as he was no doubt.
"Twenty-four hours. And not a sound. So… you gonna cooperate?"
The look of utter desperation and fear on the pilot's face was enough to bring a lump of rage and horror to Face's throat. He watched helplessly as Murdock's eyes moved across his 'team,' then fixed on his captor once more.
He nodded.
Author's Note: Hayes is cast in my mind as John Malkovich, specifically his look in Con Air.