Here's the next chapter! Now, we see what's happening to Ray! (Personally, I'm quite proud of this. but, as has been demonstrated to me countless times, I am the very worst judge of my own writing. So, it could be utterly awful.)
Disclaimer: Do not own Beyblade, Beyblade V-force, Beyblade G-Revolution, or any merchandise.
"Sir, the boy is ready for you to do with as you wish."
"Very good. Has he been prepared?"
"Yes, sir."
"Bring him in." Boris smiled cruelly as he saw Ray's semi-conscious form being dragged into the room. The boy's eyes were glazed with the drug that he had been injected with. It was a particularly nasty little concoction, mixed up by Biovolt's laboratories for just this purpose. It left the user conscious enough to talk and understand what was being said to them, yet wiped their memories of happenings while under the influence of it once it had gone from their systems, leaving only a lingering impression. Boris stepped forwards, ready to begin his slow disconnection of Ray's memories. He motioned for the boy to be dragged in front of the full-length mirror that stood in the middle of the otherwise bare room.
"Can you see yourself, Ray?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Excellent. Tell me about yourself. Everything that you can think of." Ray began to talk, his voice a flat, droning monotone. Boris paid little attention to the monologue, as all it did was serve a purpose. There were people in adjacent rooms who were recording this and writing it down in case they ran up against any difficulties, but they were nothing to do with him. This was the real reason that Voltaire had hired him. Of course, his sadistic tendencies were helpful, but this wasn't something as basic as torture. This was art.
"Then I kicked Kai in the head and ran off. After that I walked into the tundra… It was so cold…" Ray's voice faltered and stopped.
"Very good, Ray. Now then, I want you to put all of what you just told me into this mirror. Imagine that it's pouring out of you into the mirror and you can see everything looking back at you. Have you done that?"
"Yes."
"Everything that makes you "Ray" is inside that mirror?"
"Yes." Boris strode over to the mirror and struck it as hard as he could. The glass shattered. Ray's glassy eyes stared vacantly at the rough wood that was revealed.
"Everything that makes you Ray is broken. You can see it on the floor around you. Can you see it?"
"Yes."
"You are an empty shell. You have no identity."
"Yes."
"Do you wish an identity?"
"Yes."
"As you wish. You are Adrian. Who are you?"
"I am…Adrian." Over the next two hours, Boris told the newly christened Adrian the rough basics of his "life", events, people, even some basic likes and dislikes. Eventually, he stopped. A callous smirk crept over his face. Time to check the boy had learnt his lesson. He walked until he was only a foot away from Adrian, within easy arms reach.
"Who are you?" he asked abruptly. Adrian's face contorted.
"I am Ra-" His fist shot out and smashed into the boy's stomach.
"Who are you?" he repeated, more forcefully this time. Adrian straightened up gradually, his long black hair hanging loosely around his tanned face.
"I…I am A-Adrian." he said slowly, hesitating a little over the name. He cried out softly as Boris' fist knocked him off balance for a second time.
"Again! Who are you?"
"I am Adrian." Boris relaxed, although his fist stayed clenched.
"Good boy." Time to hammer in some important points. "Where do you live?"
"In Chi - In the Abbey." Adrian corrected himself quickly. Boris smirked.
"How long have you been living in the Abbey, Adrian?"
"Since I was six years old."
"Which eight people do you hate more than any others?" There was a long pause. Boris scowled. "Adrian?" The boy's mouth worked furiously.
"K-K-Ke…" He trailed off and stood silently. Boris punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor. He stood over him.
"Kevin, Gary, Lee, Mariah, Kenny, Max, Kai and Tyson!" he snarled, kicking him sharply in the side. "Say it, weakling!" Eventually, after much "persuasion", involving being kicked round the room, Adrian stammered out the names. "Stupid, foolish, ridiculous boy… Who is Ray?" Another hard question. With satisfaction, he delivered a hard blow to Adrian's chest.
"Ray is…Ray is m-m-my twin brother." Bruised and bleeding, Adrian looked up at Boris with eyes as blank as they had been at the beginning of the "experiment". Boris grunted dismissively.
"That'll do. It doesn't have to hold for long, after all." He waved a hand in Adrian's direction. "Take him away." The two guards stepped forwards, bowed, and took hold of Ray.
"Yes, sir."
The black-haired boy stirred slightly and moaned. He felt as though he'd just fallen down a flight of steps. Several flights.
"Ssh, Adrian." a female voice said softly. "Everything's okay now. You're back with us." With an effort, Adrian forced his eyes open. Kneeling next to his bed was an attractive, curvaceous blonde. Her green eyes shone with concern as she gazed at him. "How do you feel?" she asked tenderly, running a cool hand over his forehead. He looked dazedly at her.
"I hurt…" he mumbled weakly. The girl laughed glibly.
"I'm not surprised! I didn't think you had it in you, you know." Her eyes sparkled teasingly.
"Had what?"
"You nearly died of hypothermia, Adrian! Not to mention all the painful bruises you've got from falling into the crevasse." Her flawless, cream-coloured face suddenly creased. "The doctor said that you were having some problems with your memory. Do you know who I am?" Adrian racked his brain feverishly. Gradually, a memory slid out of the strange fog that was his mind at the moment.
"You're Jasmine." he said nervously, half-expecting to be wrong. "My...girlfriend." The girl's face lit up.
"Dead right!" She leaned forwards and kissed him gently on the lips. "Welcome back, Adrian." she murmured against the kiss.
"Thanks," he murmured, winding his arms round her and returning the kiss. It deepened quickly. He probed her closed lips with his tongue, trying to tease them open. After a brief, almost playful resistance, she obliged, allowing him access.
"Now then, you two. No mischief in here, if you please. This is a hospital ward, not a spare bedroom." Reluctantly, they broke apart. Jasmine's eyes flashed with annoyance.
"But, Ivan!" she complained, a slight edge to her voice. "We were just having a bit of fun!" She played absentmindedly with Adrian's untidy waves of black hair. "When can he get up?" she demanded. The doctor frowned in thought.
"If he wishes, he could get up now. But, a warning Master Adrian, you will not feel quite yourself for some time yet. You may experience some nausea or dizziness, and perhaps severe headaches. But, I cannot prevent from doing what you wish."
"Good." Jasmine snapped. Her gaze shifted to Adrian. "Do you want to get up?" Adrian shrugged, already moving into a sitting position.
"Whatever you want, Jas." He shot her a flirtatious look. She laughed and kissed him again. "I'll take that as a "get up", then?" Wincing slightly at his various aches and pains, he slowly clambered out of bed.
"Shall we go and catch up with the rest of the team, then?" she asked lightly. He blinked, the strange fog in his mind's eye obscuring who she meant. "You don't remember? We're defending our title as the World Champions." World Champions… For some reason, that phrase soothed his racing thoughts.
"Vaguely." he replied hesitantly. She took his hand, a worried expression on her face.
"Okay, let's go and refresh your memory."
They were walking down a corridor, quite unhurried, as Adrian was, as predicted, a little dizzy, when a familiar figure appeared round a corner.
"Tala…" Adrian stopped dead, staring into space. Strange, disjointed memories were flashing through his mind. Another team…four other boys… Suddenly, a blinding pain burned through his head, banishing all thoughts and making the world spin. He fell to the floor, clutching helplessly at his head and moaning softly. Arms were around him, pulling him into a soothing, tender embrace.
"Adrian? What's the matter?" A strong arm helped support him.
"Do you want to go and lie down?" Tala asked quietly. Adrian shook his head. The pain was receding, clearing his head again. He stood up, rubbing his head distractedly.
"No…I'm fine now." he said slowly. Everything seemed to be slotting into place at last. "Sorry, Tala, mate. I don't know what came over me."
"Well, if you're sure…" Tala said doubtfully, removing his arm. "Jas, give the poor guy some breathing space. He's as white as a sheet."
Once Adrian had recovered sufficiently, they continued walking.
Boris bowed until his large, bulbous nose nearly touched the floor, then stared fixedly into space.
"You called, my lord?" he said stiffly. The chair in front of the large oaken desk swivelled round.
"I did indeed, Boris. Your powers of observation never fail to stun me." Voltaire said mockingly. "To business. Kindly explain to me again why we could not simply abduct Kai, or even Tyson, and use your…technique on them? It would guarantee us more-"
"If you will excuse my rudeness, my lord, it would guarantee us nothing. Both Tyson and Kai are incredibly strong-willed. Neither would bend without the use of extreme mental pressure, and you have always instructed me to never damage Kai's mind more than is absolutely necessary." And that hasn't already been done. he added silently. The boy's mind's as shattered as that mirror I used yesterday. It's only his sheer grit that prevents him from going completely insane. Pity. The possibilities of a psychotic Kai are unlimited…
"True, true. So, how is Ray - oh, do forgive me, - Adrian responding?"
"Adrian is responding relatively well, excellently considering I didn't give him the full treatment. We had a minor blip when he saw Tala, but if anything now, he seems even more firmly convinced of who he is."
"How are you getting around the fact that he can't speak a word of Russian?"
"Simple enough. I told him that he had never managed to master the language fully, and prefers to speak in his second language, English."
"When will his training begin?"
"Very soon, my lord. He is still a little fragile at the moment. But I assure you, he will have unmatched skills when he does beyblade."
"Hurry it up, Boris. We only have two more weeks until the Championship matches. He must be ready by then."
"Yes, my lord. My lord, if it is not a great rudeness, may I inquire how using Adrian , or indeed Tyson, will encourage your grandson to return to us?"
"No, you may not." Voltaire said flatly. You are too foolish to understand it, or to realise that you have just contradicted yourself. Pathetic. "You may go now. I believe that there is a disobedient student waiting for you in cell 147." Boris' eyes gleamed nastily.
"Yes, my lord." He backed out of the room, already imagining new, more vicious punishments with almost childish glee. Voltaire looked at his departing figure with contempt. If it wasn't for Boris' genius when it came to brain-washing, he would have disposed of the man a long time ago. He was far too ambitious, unhindered by anything as pathetic as morals or indeed a conscience. A danger to everything and everyone who came into contact with him. He almost pitied Ray - no, Adrian. He must get used to that. He had nothing in particular against the boy, but he would do anything to once again have his grandson within his grasp.
"Kai," he whispered menacingly. "You will be mine again." He downed the glass of wine that stood on the desk in a single gulp. "I will not be brushed aside again!" His blood boiled as he remembered the smug, confident look on Kai's face as he had used Black Dranzer to destroy a large portion of his research. "Kai…" The empty glass shattered into a thousand pieces in his rigid grip.
Kai stopped in mid-word, the blood draining from his face.
"Kai? What's the matter?" Tyson asked anxiously. Kai stayed silent, fighting to throw off the sudden feeling that somebody was watching him. Pushing it aside with an effort, he forced his face back into a neutral expression.
"Nothing, Tyson." he said tightly. "Practice building on Max's defences for a minute." Without waiting for a response, he strode out of the room, heading for his room. He had required one, giving no reasons, and Mr Dickinson, perhaps knowing the reason anyhow, had let him have it.
He closed his eyes and fought to keep his composure, clenching the duvet in one fist. He can't reach me here. Mr Dickinson made sure of it. I rejected Black Dranzer, threw it in his face. He's powerless until the match. His eyes opened, calm and inscrutable again. And we will be ready for him. He got up and went back into the practice room.
"That was good, Max, but there's still a way to go. Tyson, keep your damn defences up! How many times do I have to tell you?"
"Yeah, Kai, I know." Tyson grumbled.
"You'll thank me in twelve day's time."
Well? What did you think? I know it's confusing, reading Adrian when you know it's Ray, but there was no other way of making it clear that he is mentally a new person now. Review, please!