Captured Freedom

Chapter 3

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Crimson eyes flash over him, forcing a chill to run down his spine. Riku steps forward, unsure of what he's doing, but knowing that he'd better do something. Those red eyes calculate him, reminding him of Cloud, Fuu's partner … or ex-partner now. The man seated before him doesn't so much as flinch as Riku touches his shoulder, kneeling down in front of him.

"No, Riku back up!" comes her urgent demand, but it goes unheard.

Riku lets his eyes linger on the metal choker around his neck, the petite light at the side of the collar flashes red for a split second just as Vincent's eyes clench shut. Riku's shoved hard to the side as Vincent holds his head, toppling over on his side as the door flies open. Lucrecia runs into the room and drops to her knees.

As she reaches into her coat to retrieve some sort of vial the men from earlier rush in, yanking Riku to his feet. Not waiting for him to begin walking he's drug out of the room and only as far as to the end of the hall, where the brutes stop at the sight of another scientist. This one has a deep frown on his countenance while black hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail. His hunched disposition doesn't change as his eyes run up and down Riku's frame, not knowing anything about this particular Angel.

"When did we acquire this specimen?"

"Two days ago and he's under my authority Hojo." she says following the rushed click of her heels. Lucrecia stops only when she's in front of Riku, between him and Hojo. "You have yours and I have mine."

"You can't save that boy. He'll reject the DNA and the cells and he'll die, just as he's supposed to."

She clenches her fists at her sides as she turns back to Riku, but speaks to the two worker bees. "Take him to the other wing-"

"And place him in Cell Eight."

Riku catches the glare Lucrecia shoots at him but their heated conversation is lost to him as he's drug down the right hallway, away from the one where he had been held previously. Something about Cell Eight, he knew as much that it's not where Dr. Crescent wanted him. He sighs as they walk him through a poorly lit corridor. This one however contrasts greatly to the other two hallways with rooms.

Actual bars are what seal off the three-walled rooms, giving the sense that once someone is placed here, they're fate is sealed. Riku is shoved into Cell Eight and finds that the accommodations are worse than he had imagined. The back wall is the only solid wall, obviously made of brick. The walls separating him from the cells on either side are thin and hollow, a small set of bars at the very middle of the bottom of each wall for some unknown reason. As he slumps against the one to his right Riku sighs heavily.

"Hiya, what's your name?"

Riku glances around the room before his eyes settle on the small barred square at the bottom of the wall across from him. An oval face is tilted to the side as the female figure lies on her stomach, smiling over at him. Her bright blue eyes contrast with the bruise making itself apparent on the curve of her jaw. She crosses her arms in front of her and lies her head on top of them, still looking up at Riku expectantly. "Are you talking to me?"

She giggles softly despite the bleak air about their situation. "Of course you. My name's Kairi."

"Riku."

"Who's your Master?" He raises a slim eyebrow and she giggles once more. "You must be really new here. After they extract part of whatever kind of power you have they give it to someone and that someone becomes your Master. They're supposed to protect you in exchange for you supplying them with the extra boost of power it takes to activate the power implanted in them."

Weary of any unwanted ears, Riku stands up and walks over to the wall separating them, lying down just as she is to give their conversation some privacy. "How do you know so much Kairi?"

A slight frown tugs at her lips. "I've been here for about four years now. I was tricked by this guy. He was just scouting for people like me though."

Riku tries to glance over her shoulder, straining his eyes to search for the sign of light that normally settles around his kind's back. "Are you human?"

"A 'special' human as they call us. Why … why did you ask?"

He puts his forehead to his arms, not wanting to look at her. "Don't worry about it. What's 'special' about you?"

"That's not something you ask a lady!" Kairi laughs, reaching a hand through the bars to smack at Riku's head, only managing in flicking at some of his hair. Riku raises his head back up, looking for an honest answer. "I have telekinesis."

"Are all these Masters human?"

"Nope! I've heard some are demons actually. Can you believe that? Actual demons! At the way Larxene acts, I'd say she's one, but … she can be nice sometimes."

Shouted demands echo through the hall as boots stomp the ground, a pair of bare feet being drug between the sets of boots. The cell door clangs open, the one on the other side of Riku's, before slamming back shut. The second the uniformed men have left them alone once more, Riku looks back away from the hallway to find that Kairi has scurried over to the cot in the corner.

He doesn't bother to get her attention though, simply heads over to his own and lies down. As he does he can see through the small set of bars, catching the outline of the figure they had just deposited in there. Riku lets the sleep force his eyes to droop and as they do he can see the faint light on the figure's back coupled with the blood glimmering from the dimmed lighting above them.

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=P In my taste this chapter is boring, too much information I needed to get out before my head exploded into a million pieces.
Enjoy? Review? Tell me whatcha think?