Bah humbug.
--
Kai awoke to an aching throb in his head. He blinked repeatedly, but darkness refused to leave his eyes. He coughed at the taste of sour and stale air.
" I thought I'd left the window open. . ." Kai sleepily thought. His head jerked up, alarmed. "The window! How could I have been so stupid, as to leave it open? I should have known the danger wasn't over." Kai tried to feel the ground around himself to determine his surroundings, and found chains clasped around his wrists.
"Hello, I see you are awake!" Kai turned his head at the sound of the familiar voice, but quickly found himself shielding his eyes from the bright doorway.
"Tala!"
"I didn't think it would be this easy to capture you, Captain! It seems that you will have to pay for your stupidity." Tala stepped closer and pushed Kai against the wall behind him. "You know, I've been waiting for this opportunity. You've caused me a great deal of trouble over the years."
Tala slapped Kai's defiant face, then traced a finger over his cheek.
"It's my turn to have the upper hand." With these words, he pierced Kai's side with the needle, and slowly injected the green serum into his body.
"Stop!" Kai screamed.
"My body… it feels so hot. I'm burning! The pain… Stop the pain. STOP IT!"
He clutched his head as the dimly lit room spun around him.
"So many voices… Shut up! NO!"
"Nobody wants you."
"Stupid child, do you think anybody could love you?"
"Join me, and I will give you the world."
"You are worthless."
When the voices ceased, Kai found himself on his knees, one the ground, panting. Only one voice remained.
"You, Kai, are mine!" Tala grabbed Kai's face and looked into the empty, emotionless eyes. "I command you… to love me!"
Tala's voice swirled in Kai's head. Love him? His mind struggled to shout no, but his body refused to obey.
"What is this? What has he done to me?"
Tala unlocked Kai's chains.
"Get up." Kai slowly rose to his feet.
He pulled the slate haired boy into a bruising kiss. Electricity seemed to fill his body when his lips touched Kai's. Tala stumbled backwards, raising his hand to his mouth, and ran from the cell, slamming the gate shut behind him.
"What was I thinking?" Tala desperately thought, inside his room. "What is this feeling? It's not supposed to be this way! What is this feeling?"
Tala reached into his pocket and withdrew a screwdriver.
"A loose wire is all, it must be. This will all be better after I reboot."
--
Tala stirred in his uneasy sleep, a dreamscape filling his mind. Standing in an empty field, hands reached out from the ground to grab his ankles and try to pull him down.
"Tala," Ian groaned, as he rose from the ground. "Why did you have to kill us?"
"Where is your own will, you heartless bastard?" Bryan dug his fingers into Tala's shoulder. "Do you do everything Boris tells you to, Puppet?"
Tala clenched his teeth.
"I do what I want! I obey no one by myself!"
Spencer tsked. "Denying yourself again, Tala? He told you to kill us, and you did. We were the only ones you had left!"
Ian stepped forward, shadows covering his eyes. "We won't let you do this again. We forbid it."
"We won't let you run from the truth, this time. Before it's too late, you must acknowledge your emotions. Quickly, before Kai's time is up!"
Tala faltered. "Emotions? Emotions get in the way! And what do you mean by Kai's time? Tell me!"
But it was too late. They were gone and Tala opened his eyes to an empty room. The only thing that led him to believe his nightmare had been more was a silent whisper in his ear.
"Don't run from the truth. This must not be ignored." For the first time, Tala was afraid.
--
Oosh.