Act VI: Concerning the Moving of Chess Pieces into Position for Endgame

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Submerged

Darkness. Cold, quiet darkness.

The cell was ancient, located in the oldest, deepest part of the prison, where even the rats did not lurk. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all dark gray stone. The door was a blank rectangle of steel. In the corner of the cell was a foul-smelling bucket, which was a third of the way full. The only imperfection in the cell was the small crack in the base of one of the walls.

Cass sat on the floor of the cell, resting against the back wall. There were chains clamped around her wrists and ankles, which prevented her from flying. Not that flying was of any use in here, but the guards did not like being inconvenienced.

Time grew fluidic and hazy within the confines of the cell. Cass had difficulty keeping track of hours and days. Sometimes she would find herself counting her breaths, though she would always zone out and lose concentration, wander off into the realms of her imagination, which were so much more pleasant than the ancient cell.

At first, there had been pain. After initially waking up in her cell, the last thing Cass recalled had been getting shot in the stomach. Much as she would have preferred to forget, the memories were there. Underneath her shirt was a large, puckered red scar, signifying recent surgery. It took a while for the pain to subside. Even now, the pain was still not gone. It was present, lurking in the shadows, a dull ache.

After the pain, there was denial. Cass would spend hours at a time screaming until her throat was raw, banging away against the walls with her fists until they grew sore and became bruised. When Cass's tantrums caused her manacles to cut into her wrists and ankles, eventually drawing blood, she eased up on the walls. Throughout the whole ordeal, however, the cell door remained blank, motionless, sealed. As it grew more and more difficult for Cass to ignore the fact that she was alone and no one was coming for her, the tears came.

Where had she gone wrong? That was one of the most prevalent thoughts in her mind. And it was a question to which she had no answer. Had she gone wrong when she had chosen to play Sburb in the first place? Perhaps, although the choice to not play Sburb would have resulted in her death, anyway. There were plenty of silver linings to be extracted from her choice to play Sburb, but when subsequent choices landed her here, in a small, dark prison cell...silver linings were hard to find.

And deeper than that, beneath the intellectual web of reason and rationale, Cass was homesick. She missed her mom. She missed her friends, too, her old life. Cass had never had very many friends, but she had always opted for quality over quantity. A few close friends, as opposed to a crowd of acquaintances. But now? There were only seven other people left alive with whom she could still be friends. And none of them were here.

Cass was alone.

After the tears, there came numbness. Cass cried until her eyes could no longer produce tears. And then, when the silence of the cell trickled back into the room and settled over its occupant, and all Cass could hear was the sound of her own breathing...she felt numb. Empty, almost. Worn out, exhausted.

Before long, sleep would claim her, and she would wake up next to Adamsprite as her 'real' self, back on the Land of Thunder and Dwarves. Word had spread among the consorts of how they had eradicated the Wyrm nest within Mount Goldmont, prompting the two companions to begin traveling to other mountain-cities to deal with similar nests. As talk of the Sylph's arrival began to travel from town to town, so too did rumors of dragon sightings.

But then, at the end of the day, it was back to sleep for Cass, which meant waking up in the Silent Dungeon as her imprisoned dream self. More pain from the surgery scar, more screaming, more tears, and then more numbness. Every time Cass woke up in her cell, the emotional cycle would repeat, though the numbness set in sooner each subsequent time.

After a few days, Cass stopped trying to make herself heard. It was only then, after her cell fell silent, that the small slot at the bottom of the door was opened, and a plate of bread crusts and a glass of water was pushed inside. It was a paper plate, preventing Cass from smashing it and using the shards as potential escape tools or weapons. Or even implements for suicide.

Cass had not even realized how hungry and thirsty she was until she downed that first joke of a meal. The taste of the bread exploded in her mouth, causing her to stuff it all in and swallow it without chewing very much. Anything to get the stomach to shut up. Unfortunately, eating the bread crusts served only to make Cass more hungry.

As more meals eventually came due to 'improved behavior', Cass learned to ration herself, but those first few days had been utter hell. Even after she adjusted, however, Cass's body was clearly starting to show signs of deteriorating as it was malnourished. As she settled into this horrible new routine, Cass would then find herself reflecting back on her life, recalling all those times she'd felt like she was in prison. Math class was a big one. The synagogue was another, especially Hebrew class. Cass's mom, who was born Israeli, had made sure her daughter picked up her native tongue.

What Cass would have given, right now, to go to just one more Hebrew class. Anything but this…

"Psst...anyone hear me? Anyone over there?"

Cass nearly jumped out of her skin. The voice had not been her own - Cass was ninety-five percent sure of that. Even so...the mere sound of a fellow voice was very surreal. She looked over to her left, stared at the small crack in the wall, blinked several times. Yes, that was where the voice had come from; she was sure of it, now. Cass slowly motivated herself to move and crawled over to the other wall, sitting back down right next to the crack.

Cass pressed an ear to the crack, listened. She heard nothing. No voice, no whispering, nothing but her own breathing. Still...there was a part of Cass's mind that refused to believe that she had imagined that voice. And so, for the first time in days, Cass decided to speak.

"Are you real?" Cass's voice was scratchy and hoarse from disuse, but she was still able to get the words out.

There was a pause. When the reply did not immediately come, Cass's breath stopped short, and she started to wonder if she was going crazy. But then the other voice answered her, thankfully, before that train of thought could go very far.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm real, alright. How 'bout you?"

Now Cass's eyebrows shot up as she recognized the voice. "Theo?"

"Cass?"

"Have you been down here this whole time?"

"No, I was up in gen pop. Guards just moved me down to this cell today."

"Jen what?"

"No, 'gen pop'. General population. You know, prison."

"This is the Silent Dungeon, I'm assuming?"

"Oh yeah, right on the dot. Oldest part of the prison, too. Only the unluckiest of the unlucky get sent all the way down here."

That made Cass grunt, which promptly caused a fit of coughing. "I guess being a Hero is about as unlucky as it gets," Cass rasped, recovering from the bout of hacking and coughing.

"Yeah."

Theo filled Cass in on what had happened in the wake of her getting shot, although his memories of the failed rescue attempt were fuzzy, at best. He had been shot, too, after all.

"Theo?" Cass asked, after her friend was finished.

"Yeah?"

"When did it become normal for us to get shot?"

"What?" Theo was caught off-guard by the simplicity of the question.

"Three of us have been shot. Two of us have been stabbed. I'm starving in a jail cell. What kind of game is this? We're getting torn to pieces. What the hell are we even doing here?"

There was a silence from the other side of the cracked wall. Cass's question must have struck home. "That's the sixty-four dollar question, alright... I'll be honest, I haven't really had time to think about it. 'Til now, I guess. Plenty of time now."

Another silence. This time, Cass was the one who broke it. "You sound good. At least, for someone who's survived the Silent Dungeon for...how long has it been?"

"Five days for me, I think. And around a week for you," Theo replied. "I can't tell, anymore. Time goes all screwy inside here."

"Another thing we can agree on."

Theo and Cass continued to speak to each other. For Theo, it was good to hear the voice of a friend - not many of the inmates upstairs had been very friendly. The more harmless inmates tended to stick to the shadows, more, avoiding the hostile and the mentally troubled. Theo had nearly been stabbed on three separate occasions, and some part of him was actually grateful to be far removed from the despair of the others.

But that meant coming down to the hole, solitary confinement, where the only light in the holding cells came from the weak glow of the light bulbs screwed into the ceiling. For Cass, who had been confined in the hole for nearly a full week, it was simply good to hear another voice. Any voice would have done - Cass was grateful it was her friend, but she would have settled for just about anyone.

If she had known what was coming, Cass might not have spoken so much. She would have known to save her energy.

Footfalls echoed in the hallway beyond the cell door. The footsteps were heavy and resounding. Boots. And there were a lot of them. This was not just a single guard coming to push a hunk of stale, sometimes moldy bread through the door slot - there were several individuals walking down the hall.

"You know what's going on?" Cass spoke through the crack one last time.

"No clue," Theo's response was. "I have another bad feeling, though…"

The footsteps stopped outside Cass's cell. She heard the jingle of keys, followed by the dull clunk of the lock being turned. The door swung open to reveal a tall Dersite wearing an immaculate black suit and a bowler hat. He had narrow white eyes and a small, pursed mouth. Flanking him were four prison guards.

The tall Dersite gave Cass a faint grin. "Hello, Sylph. Nice to finally meet you in person." He gave a single nod to the guards as he spoke.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Cass asked as two guards entered her cell. They lifted her up to her feet and unlocked the manacles on her wrists and ankles, freeing her from the wall. The freedom was fleeting, however - the guards put Cass in handcuffs immediately afterwards.

"You may refer to me as 'Dignitary'," the tall Dersite replied. "Though, admittedly, you may wish to call me 'Droog' by the time we are finished tonight. There is little in this place that is dignified. Come, Sylph. It is time."

"Time for what?"

The Draconian Dignitary's grin widened by a hair. "Time for us to begin."

Cass was taken to a small room at the end of the hallway. This room was not a cell, however. It was an interrogation chamber. There was a granite countertop built into one of the walls, with a row of cabinets up above. Built into the countertop was a large sink. And in the middle of the room were two big metal chairs with restraints, facing each other.

The guards put Cass in one of the chairs. The restraints were even less comfortable than the manacles back in the cell. There were metal bands that clamped down around her wrists, elbows, thighs, and ankles - completely immobilizing Cass's arms and legs. A final restraint secured over the neck immobilized Cass's torso, preventing her from trying to headbutt anyone who came too close.

Not that it would have mattered - Cass was too weak to fight back against the guards, even if she'd wanted to. She had essentially been starved for a week, and keeping up the conversation with Theo had drained more energy than she'd first thought. Still, that did not keep the pit of fear from settling in her stomach. She did not know what was going to happen, but one look at the interrogation room and the chairs was enough to tell Cass that this probably would not have a happy ending.

After securing Cass to the chair, the four guards left the room, leaving the teenaged girl alone with the Dignitary. After the door closed, in the ensuing silence, Cass realized that she was nearly hyperventilating. She quickly brought that under control, but the Dersite had already noticed.

"No need to be afraid, Sylph," the Dignitary assured Cass, crossing over to the sink and turning on the water, proceeding to wash his hands. "Not yet, at least. I am not going to begin until the guards bring your friend, so you may rest easy for the next thirty seconds."

The guards returned in twenty seconds. Theo was dragged into the chamber sporting a newly-gained black eye. When the Dignitary gave the guards a questioning arch of the eyebrows, the senior guard explained, "Inmate got disrespectful when we removed his restraints. Had to discipline him. Nothing broken." With that, the guards set about putting Theo in the chair facing Cass.

The Draconian Dignitary shut off the water and dried his hands on a towel from one of the drawers. "Glad to know you still have fight left in you, Thane," the top-ranking Agent said. His faint grin had not gone away, but it had now become frozen. It did not reach his eyes. "That is strength you will need. However, it is not your physical strength that I will be testing tonight."

Theo's response was short, simple, and direct. "Fuck you."

The Dignitary blinked once in reaction to the language. He then gave another nod to the guards. "Thank you, gentlemen, you may leave now."

"Just hit the buzzer when you're finished. We'll come and clean up," the senior guard said. And with that, the four guards filed out of the interrogation chamber, shutting the door behind them.

The Dignitary opened one of the cabinets. Cass saw the glint of metal out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look at the cabinet, her breath caught in her throat. There were several rows of sharp tools and assorted objects within the cabinet, ranging from knives and cleavers to scalpels and syringes.

Theo looked over to the cabinet as well. He grimaced, turning back to meet Cass's gaze. Blue eyes met violet. "It's gonna be okay," Theo whispered.

Cass did not believe him.

The Draconian Dignitary selected a small pair of wickedly-sharp shears from the cabinet. When he turned back to face the two teens, he could see their nervous glances. He felt tempted to play with his food a little bit more, but the Dignitary suppressed the desire. It was time to get to work.

"You are both looking at me holding these shears, and you are wondering what I am going to do," the Dignitary said, speaking the truth. "Not knowing this is causing you great amounts of stress. Well, do not worry, for I will now explain to you exactly what I intend to do with these shears. First, Sylph, I am going to remove the little finger on your right hand. I will do this in three separate portions - first the fingertip, then the middle part, and then the lower part. Then, Thane, I am going to ask you a question, and you are going to answer it. If you do not answer, then I will go to work on the Sylph's ring finger. If you answer falsely, then I will remove the skin from the Sylph's ring finger before amputating it. Do you both understand?"

Cass was having trouble comprehending the Dersite. He spoke in a very smooth, eloquent tone, which did not communicate the brutality of what he was saying. Being threatened with torture in such a matter-of-fact manner was very off-putting. Cass took a deep breath. "Theo…"

"Hey, look," Theo spoke at the same time as Cass; fear was getting the better of him, as well. He'd been expecting to be worked over by the guards - beaten up, bloodied a bit, maybe a broken bone or three...but this? Theo had not expected this. "I'm obviously the one with the information you want. So I'll talk. Alright? I'll fucking talk. I'll answer your questions, just don't hurt my friend."

The Dignitary ignored Theo, walked behind Cass's chair, took her right hand. The teenaged girl did not even try to keep her finger away by balling her hand into a fist. She knew that would only have led to more pain. The Dignitary opened the shears and snapped them back shut, testing them. He then paused, glanced down at Cass. "Are you comfortable, Sylph? Would you like any adjustments with the restraints?"

Cass looked up, making eye contact with the Dersite. "Please don't do this," she whispered to him. She knew it was fruitless, but for some reason she had not been able to keep silent.

"No avoiding it, I'm afraid," the Dignitary replied, placing Cass's little finger in his shears. "Prepare yourself. You will not feel it, at first. But then you will."

The Dignitary had not been lying - when he squeezed the shears and the sharp metal blades bit straight through the bone of Cass's finger, she felt nothing. Time almost seemed to stop, and her eyes felt like they were as wide as planets. She heard the wet thud of her severed fingertip hitting the stone floor.

Cass was still aware of Theo shouting, though she could no longer make out the individual words. Her friend was still yelling at the Dignitary, still begging for him to stop. It was a wasted effort, though. Beyond the shouting, Cass was aware of the sound of her own heartbeat. It almost felt like it had slowed down, each thump-thump growing more and more resounding as the adrenaline roared through her system and she started passing into shock.

Just as the very first tendrils of pain began creeping their way into Cass's conscious awareness, the Dignitary slid his shears down to the next joint in Cass's finger. He squeezed again, severing the middle part of the little finger.

The second cut was worse. Cass could feel the snap of the bones, this time, and she could see that her entire hand was now smeared with red. Her eyes watered. That was when the pain came barreling in. It felt like Cass's hand was simultaneously on fire and being stabbed. She heard even more screaming. A small part of her mind found itself musing for a few moments on how familiar all the screaming sounded, before realizing that it was her own voice.

The Draconian Dignitary took Cass's bleeding stump and, with one last cut from the shears, removed it from the knuckle. The last part of the finger dropped down to the floor, splashing down next to its two companions in the small puddle of blood that had fallen from Cass's hand.

"Stop it, stop it!" Theo was thundering. "Jesus Fucking Christ, you fucking psychopath, STOP IT!" He, too, was beginning to hyperventilate, feeling the initial brushes of an asthma episode lurking just beyond arm's reach. Blood was beginning to seep down his arms and neck - metal restraints were not kind to those who struggled fiercely against them.

"No need for any further bellowing, Thane. The Sylph is already making enough noise for the both of you." The Dignitary straightened up after making the last cut, stepping away from the convulsing girl. He crossed back over to the sink and ran the bloodied shears under the water, cleaning them off. When Cass continued to sob and scream without showing any signs of quieting down, the Dignitary clicked his tongue in irritation, set the shears aside. He opened the drawer underneath the sink, pulling out a roll of black tape.

The Dignitary tore off a strip of tape and walked back over to Cass's chair. He cupped a hand under Cass's chin and forced her jaw closed, pressing the piece of tape over her mouth and smoothing it down. He almost sighed in relief as her screaming was muffled. "I apologize for the tape, Sylph, but you are quite a bit louder than what I was expecting," the Dignitary explained, not sounding the least bit sorry. "I simply cannot conduct my business if my ears are ringing. Now then, Thane, it is time for your question. Remember what I said earlier, or you will hear the Sylph scream again. I do not believe either of us wishes to experience that."

Theo tore his gaze away from Cass, the corners of his mouth deepening into a scowl. Hatred was beginning to simmer deep in his gut. But he kept himself from hurling insults at the Dersite. Acting like that would only result in Cass losing more body parts. "Fine, then. Ask."

"Where is the Wrathful Veteran's base of operations?" the Dignitary asked.

Theo hesitated, then said, "I don't know where it is. The dissenters use transportalizers. It could be anywhere."

"No speculation, please," the Dignitary interjected, polite enough to say 'please' even though it was not truly a request. "Start with what you know. The Sylph's remaining fingers will thank you."

Theo closed his eyes for a moment, mentally screaming as loud as he could before giving a grudging answer. "It's underground, somewhere. In a cavern, or something. Might be artificially-created. They have enough supplies and equipment to last forever down there. They call it the Onyx."

"Thank you, Thane, thank you very much," the Dignitary's ghostly grin returned. He turned away from Theo and headed over to the door, pressing the button on the call box next to the exit, signalling the guards to return. "The guards will escort you back to your cell. We are done, for now."

"That...that was it?" Theo could not hide his surprise. He had been expecting this to go on for hours. "That's all you're gonna ask me?"

"For today, yes," the Dignitary replied. "We start with the basics, and then we work our way forward from there. Do not worry; I have plenty more questions to ask, but it would not do to ask them all in one sitting. The Sylph might run out of body parts. Rest up, Thane, and tell the Sylph to do the same when she is coherent. I'm sure she can hear you through that crack in your cell's wall. I will see you again in two days."

With that, the Dignitary opened the door and left the room, leaving Theo and Cass in their chairs.