A/N: Hey! You! Yeah! Be careful, the content ahead is pretty dubious so please read the warnings carefuly. This chapter (as well as the next ones) are probably on the very brink of being rated MA, so if there are any complaints about them being 'too much' for I can understand (and will take the story down).

Warnings: Depiction of severe torture, Implied kidnapping of an adult, Beating, Bone breaking, Forced dirty substance swallowing, Interrupted vomiting, Submission, Mouth and tongue mutilation, Finger breaking, Finger removal, Animal fluff, Animal death, Water torture, Suicidal thoughts

...

Soldier shuddered at the feeling of cold air caressing his skin and looked up. The basement was dimly lit by a single light bulb hanging loosely from the ceiling. He was tied by the shoulders and wrists to thick metal pipes that descended into the ground, rough ropes constricting and binding him to the piping painfully. Each of his fingers were neatly separated by pieces of wood held together with string, keeping him from closing his fists. His legs were safely anchored to heavy cement blocks that kept them still and spread. He had been stripped down to nothing but his American-flag-printed boxers and was left there almost naked, cold, shivering, afraid, gagged and surrounded by his enemies.

It was early in the morning; around 7:30 AM when Jane had left the safety of the castle to take Lieutenant Bites and his other raccoons on a walk. He had followed a particular path that led into the small forest just a few meters away from his home. It was a nice place for the raccoons to run around, cool in the heated summer and even providing a small pond of water for them to drink from and swim in. It was also a place Jane enjoyed for its peace and quietness as Teufortians didn't approach the forest, believing it was haunted. After walking under the large trees for half an hour the Soldier had settled down next to the pond, sitting on a large rock to watch his beloved raccoons splash and play in the clear water.

That was all he remembered before receiving a heavy blow to the temple as the animals cried in panic and everything faded to black.

At the time he hadn't been able to see who had bludgeoned him in the head; it had all happened too fast. Now, however, as he saw all the blue uniforms standing tall and menacing around him there was no need to wonder anymore; it was those bastards from BLU. Those disgusting varmints, those… Those…

"Freaks! You guys are fuckin' freaks I'm tellin' ya!"

The boyish voice had caught Jane's attention. He turned and craned his neck to try and see who it belonged to, successfully spotting the BLU Scout. The young man was standing opposite from him and the other mercenaries, facing his teammates with a look of utter disgust painted across his face. By his side stood the BLU Pyro who didn't seem to understand much of what was going on and the BLU Demoman, bottle of Scrumpy in one hand and his grenade launcher in the other.

"-What's the matter Scout? Afraid of a little blood?, the Spy teased with a grin.

-What? No! I ain't afraid of blood!

-Maybe Tiny Scout does not remember how RED Team has humiliated us, Heavy grunted.

-I do, that's not-

-Then why are you walking away now that we can finally pay them back?, the Medic asked proudly standing next to the big Russian, Are you not-

-A civilian, guys!, Scout suddenly yelled, He's a civilian just- Common sense; us it! If we torture a civilian we're gonna get in trouble!"

The words echoed through the basement and silenced the other mercenaries for a moment. Demoman took a swig from his bottle of scrumpy and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"-... I say, we just leave the kid out of this, Sniper finally proposed, I don't think he's tough enough for the job.

-Oui, I agree with the bushman, Spy said with a smirk, You should go back to your room and play wizh your toys, hm? Laisse donc les grandes personnes s'amuser entre elles.

-Don't you use your French on me you- You-!"

Scout shook his head and clenched his fist. He exhaled through his nose loudly, groaned and turned on his heels.

"Come on, Py, we outta here."

As he spoke he grabbed Pyro by the hand and dragged them along towards the door. The firebug followed, unsure of what was happening. Demoman took a second swig before sadly and slowly shaking his head.

"I didn't know ye were like that lads, I didn't know…"

The Scot disappeared through the open door, leaving the six mercenaries with the now fully awakened RED Soldier. The man tensed as he felt six pairs of eyes were laid on him. His body stiffened and he held his breath, shivering slightly.

"Well, well, well… Would you look at that; the maggot's awake!" came a gruff voice.

Before he could even react Jane felt his head being crushed between his BLU double's boot and a metal pipe, mud and dirt being smeared on his cheek.

"Now son, you heard us talkin' didn't cha? You know why you're here, uh?" the Engineer asked as he crouched down next to Jane.

When the man didn't respond because of the gag in his mouth he was given a brutal kick to the head. The RED Soldier groaned and clenched his teeth as he felt his temples ring with pain.

"Answer when you're asked questions!" the BLU Soldier yelled.

The Medic grinned and approached the RED. He held a surgical scalpel in his right hand and absently-mindedly played with it, turning the instrument between his gloved fingers.

"-It seems We forgot to remove the gag, he mused as he pulled on the piece of cloth and slid it out of Jane's mouth, Now this should-

-You fucking bastards!, Jane immediatly spat with rage, You won't get away with this! I'm an American citizen I won't-"

He was cut by a powerful blow to the chest delivered by the BLU Engineer. The Texan raised his wrench again and hit his side with such force it shattered two ribs, making Jane howl in pain as hot tears filled his eyes.

"Tiny baby man is crying like little girl already!", Heavy laughed loudly.

-We are only starting, Herr Doe, don't cry just yet, Medic continued with a mocking tone in his voice.

-You filthy German shut your mouth or I will-

-Don't disrespect doktor!"

The big Russian slammed his heel down on Jane's leg and effortlessly broke his right shin with a loud, ugly cracking sound. The RED Soldier screamed and convulsed; tears running in burning streams down his cheeks as he watched the open wound bleed abundantly. He sniffled loudly and shook his head, trying to focus on anything but the agonizing pain. The BLU Sniper leaned against the wall next to their prisoner and looked down on him.

"Stop fuckin' cryin' mate what are you? A wimp?"

Jane's guts twisted with hatred and his eyes widened, momentarily forgetting the pain.

"A wimp?! I am an American soldier you worthless piece of garbage I-"

Blood spurted on his chest as his BLU double kicked him in the face and crushed his nose. The impact smashed the RED's head back against the wall and was followed by another.

"You are weak!" the BLU yelled, hitting him again.

He grabbed the back of Jane's head and proceeded to kick his face with each word he spat out.

"A! Soldier! Is! Strong! Therefore! You! Are! Not! A! Soldier!"

The RED tried to scream but found himself unable to do so. His nose was broken and most of his teeth had been knocked out and back into his bleeding mouth. At some point the BLU stopped and Jane immediately opened his mouth to breathe and spit the teeth out; only to have it filled with the other soldier's boot. Dry mud melted with his saliva and mixed with his blood and teeth forming a thick, gruesome mixture that threatened to make him throw up.

"Swallow."

The RED froze at the command. The BLU only pushed the mixture further in his mouth and to his throat.

"I said swallow."

Jane tried to bite down but his mangled gums only rubbed with a bloody squish against the boot. A long sigh echoed and the Heavy approached slowly. He was getting rather annoyed by the man's lack of obedience. Without a word he walked to Jane's left side and once more slammed his foot down on the man's leg, breaking his other shin. Jane screamed around the boot in his mouth; convulsing in agonizing pain; crying and sniffling. His entire body shook in terror and his tongue twitched. He swallowed; obedient, choking on the horrible taste and feeling the teeth scrape the back of his throat. The BLU finally removed his foot and blood and brown drool began pouring out of the RED's abused mouth. Jane's back arched; his shoulder lifted and he began coughing violently. He felt bile rise from his stomach before a strong grip clenched around his throat, compressing his esophagus and windpipe.

"You better not throw up now son, the Engineer coldly threatened with his hand around Jane's throat, If you do we'll make you clean it up with your tongue."

The RED shook and gagged; mucus and saliva bubbling at the corner of his lips. His nose was burning with acid and his eyes stung with tears. He swallowed and somehow managed to push his stomach's content down; sending it back where it belonged as he was finally released from the mechanic's grip.

"There, that's an obedient wimp…" the Soldier scoffed.

Jane choked back a sob and weakly sucked in a breath.

"-I'll kill you… I know people… I'll fucking kill every one of you…

-His voice is getting rather annoying, don't you think docteur?, the Spy asked with a dubious smile.

-Ja I agree with you Herr Spy, we should make him shut up." The Medic sneered.

The two men kneeled on either side of their prisoner, one holding his butterfly knife and the other toying with his scalpel. Jane tried to shake his head when they grabbed his face but it was no use. He felt a sharp blade against his lower lip and froze. The instrument easily sliced through the soft flesh, drawing more and more blood each time. Spy pinched the RED's broken nose and waited, patient. When the man opened his mouth to breath he jabbed the tip of his knife into the empty tooth-sockets repeatedly, ripping a cry from his victim. Jane thrashed and squirmed, desperately trying to get rid of the ridiculously huge amount of blood in his mouth. It streamed out of his mouth and onto his chest generously.

"Ah, Herr Spy, could you lend me your knife bitte? I believe there is an abnormal growth in his mouth."

The Frenchman complied with a smirk, staring straight into the RED's eyes. Medic slid the handle of the butterfly knife under Jane's tongue as his mouth was forced open by Spy. He slid the scalpel in as well, pressing the sharp edge of the blade to the root of his tongue.

"Ah-! 'OH! 'OH 'EASE-! AAAAAH!"

The instrument sliced and cut through the organ effortlessly, guided by the knife's handle. Jane screamed and thrashed as more blood gushed out of the new wound. He was sobbing loudly; blood gurgling in his mouth as his body shook with agonizing pain. He let his head fall back as Medic removed the tools from his mouth, blood and saliva pooling down his chin and neck. A few loud hiccups escaped him before the German rolled his eyes and pulled out the gag he had been keeping in his pocket. He approached the RED and extended his hand, which the man instinctively tried to bite. Jane earned himself another punch to the head and the gag was forced back into his mouth.

Still, he continued to yell and growl even through the cloth. He locked eyes with his BLU double, trying to look as menacing as he could. His fingers twitched. His body trembled with hatred. His jaws clenched. His guts burned. His stomach twisted.

He jumped when the sound of objects falling followed by hissing and scratching disrupted the silence from a nearby room.

"Bloody…"

The BLU Sniper trotted to the door and left the room looking for where the sound came from. Jane tried to watch; he could've sworn he'd heard this particular hissing before; but a sharp and vivid pain made him scream and squeeze his eyes shut. The Engineer had smashed his hand with his wrench, shattering the bones within it. He retrieved a pair of pliers from his belt and closed them around Jane's thumb, slowly twisting it.

"This is for all of mah poor lil' sentries you've been blowin' up."

He bent the finger back violently, ripping the muscle and breaking the bone. The RED screamed through clenched teeth, biting hard into the gag. He trembled and sobbed as the mechanic moved the pliers to his index. He clenched them down and began turning the finger.

"This is for killin' me on the battlefield."

He kept twisting as Jane screamed and violently shook; pulling and turning until the entire finger was ripped off. Blood splattered on the wall and Engineer's clothes. The shorter man smirked and moved to the next finger as he watched his victim cry and choke on his own tears.

"This is for killin' mah friend Solly."

And it went on.

For long, unbearable minutes all Jane could do was scream in agony as his fingers were being broken or removed. His gag had slipped out of his mouth at some point, drenched in blood, drool and snot. He had pissed himself, adding insult to injury. Engineer had even broken his other hand with his wrench to 'finish the job'.

"Fucking wimp pissed himself!" the BLU Soldier laughed as he crushed Jane's head with his boot again.

The RED sobbed loudly, cold and exhausted. Right now he would've given anything to be home; to cuddle with his beloved raccoons and be under the protection and care of Merasmus again. Hell, if he wasn't so proud even death would have suited him.

The door opened and Sniper walked in holding something. He was a mess; his hair undone, his glasses bent, scratches on his forearms and face. Whatever he had been holding suddenly jumped out of his arms and began running everywhere, crashing into things and people. It looked like a grey and black ball of fur adorned with a fluffy tail, pointy ears and four little paws. The small animal bumped into Heavy's leg, turned around, bumped into Spy's leg, bit his ankle and ran away when the man screamed.

"What is this raccoon doing here?!" the Frenchman yelled with rage, bringing a hand to his bleeding wound.

Jane made a small clicking sound with his butchered tongue and the raccoon immediately stopped in its tracks. It searched for the source of the familiar call, noticed Jane and sprinted in his direction, hopping and nestling onto his chest. The RED slowly nuzzled the warm fur with a weak smile. He greeted his beloved pet, forgetting where he was or what was happening for a moment.

"Hello, Lieutenant Bites…"

The raccoon gave his nose a lick and chirped, flicking its ears.

"It's one of 'is pet, Sniper explained, I guess it followed us 'ere when we captured our RED friend in the forest."

Lieutenant Bites nuzzled Jane's cheek with another chirp as the man buried his face in the soft fur. The human smelt of fear, blood and urine. He was weak and hurt. He felt cold. The raccoon nuzzled against his chest with a purr to keep him warm- or so it tried. Lieutenant Bites was brutally kicked away from Jane and crashed against the wall with a pained cry. Before it could get up Sniper's foot landed into its tiny stomach as the bushman proceeded to beat the small animal violently.

"LIEUTENANT BITES! W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?! STOP! STOP IT!" Jane screamed hysterically.

He thrashed against his bounds further damaging his broken bones and screamed at the top of his lungs. His eyes were wide and bloodshot; a river of tears streaming down his face as he was forced by Engineer and Heavy to watch the scene.

"Sorry cupcake but we got a no-pet policy here 'n' it's pretty strict." The BLU Soldier half-explained half-mocked.

Lieutenant Bites was crying out every time Sniper's foot hit its stomach, its bones shattering with an ugly crack after each impact. The RED watched in horror as Spy joined in as well, kicking the raccoon in the head and breaking its skull.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE! S-STOP! PLEASE STOP! LIEUTENANT BITES!"

Jane's guts twisted as he heard more crying and bones breaking. His throat was burning but he kept screaming, eyes red and stinging.

"LIEUTENANT BITES! PLEASE-! P-Please don't… Don't hurt-… No… Please… Don't… Lieutenant Bites… N-No…"

It was too late.

The terrified cries of pain had died down and away, stopping completely.

It was too late.

Jane's head dropped; his shoulders shook and jumped as he broke into quiet sobs. The BLUs laughed joyfully. Sniper grumbled when he realized he had gotten raccoon blood on his new shoes. Spy picked the animal carcass by its tail and exited the basement, claiming he was going to make himself a pair of warm furry gloves.

Jane's head was tilted upwards by his BLU double who spat on him ungracefully, barking out more insults and kicking him in the stomach. The broken RED didn't fight back however. He couldn't see the point of fighting back anymore.

"Lieutenant Bites…, he sobbed, Lieutenant Bites… Lieutenant Bites…"

No, he really couldn't see it...

That was probably why he didn't react when his toenails were ripped off one by one. Why he didn't insult Sniper when the bushman slashed his thighs, tendons and forearms with his dirty and rusted kukri. Why he obeyed when he was untied and told to walk on his bleeding legs. Why he cried and sobbed miserably when Medic stabbed his knees punishingly for not being able to stand up; when Heavy punched and kicked him in the chest to break more of his ribs.

Jane let himself be dragged around limply; face flooded with tears, blood and snot. A thick cloth was placed over his face as he weakly lay on his back. Water was poured onto it as he heard the BLU Soldier whisper.

"You better not tell anyone what happened to you cupcake… We know where you live; if you misbehave we'll find you again. We'll torture you; we'll rip out your tongue 'n' make sure you never speak again."

Jane screamed when he realized he couldn't breathe.

"Wake up!"

His lungs were on fire; his broken nose compressed under the soaked cloth.

"Hey! Is time to wake up!"

He felt his nerves bursting; a variety of emotions taking over all at once. He wanted to kill the BLUs. He wanted to hold Lieutenant Bites. He wanted Merasmus to tell him he would be okay. He wanted to be home. He wanted to destroy everything his captors loved. He wanted to wrap himself in a warm blanket and sit by the fireplace with the raccoons, the Bombinomicon and Merasmus –with his loved ones.

"WIZARD! WAKE UP!"

He wanted his miserable life to end.

...

The green glow abruptly left Merasmus' eyes as the wizard gasped sharply and loudly. He was sweating and shaking from head to toe; breathe ragged and fingers clawing at the mattress helplessly. Every single one of Jane's pains; his feelings and emotions had shot through him as if he had been the one in the hands of the BLUs- and it had left quite a mark.

"Oh God… O-Oh God…"

Merasmus brought a trembling hand to his chest and tried to calm his racing heart. The Bombinomicon was floating next to him in silence, only daring to speak when the wizard was finally starting to relax.

"You-uh… You were screaming, so I woke you up…" it explained nervously.

Merasmus shuddered and shook his head.

"You did good…"

He wiped his sweaty forehead and sighed, leaning forwards. It was already dark outside.

"-For how long have I been in a trance?

-2 Hours." The book responded.

Oh. It had felt a lot longer. A lot longer… Merasmus gently stroked Jane's hair and felt him relax at the familiar touch. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to the Soldier's, closing his eyes.

"I am so sorry Jane… I wish I had been there… I wish… I wish I would have protected you..."

He squeezed his roommate's hand and stayed there for a moment, holding him and remembering everything that had happened. He had been too busy with healing Soldier to notice the lack of furry beast trying to tear his ankle to fleshy shreds. Lieutenant Bites… He had to admit he was going to miss the dirty fur ball… How dared they; killing him just for the sake of further breaking Jane's mind?! How dared they even raise a hand against such a helpless animal?! Even he, a cruel and heartless ancient magician made sure the goats he used in his sacrifices were old and went away painlessly...

The words from the BLU Soldier suddenly rolled back into his mind and his fists clenched, small sparks of magic emanating from his body. Merasmus carefully released Jane and rose from his seat.

"They may know where you live, but they won't come back ever again, I can promise you... They will not find you... Never..."

He turned to the Bombinomicon, eyes glowing green.

"Watch over him while I am gone. I will come back as soon as I am done with my task."

The enchanted book couldn't even respond before the wizard vanished in a large swirl of neon green and black smoke, leaving the room silent aside for Jane's soft snoring.

The BLUs had definitly picked the wrong victim.