Chapter 13: Caged

The days in solitary confinement (as I started calling it) were long. Someone came to bring me food three times a day. They would walk in with a tray of food and a bottle of water and soda, then they would tranquillize me with a dart and open the door and put the food in. Once I woke whoever fed me was long gone. There were three people who all had their own shift. Grace came in the mornings, she said that she knew about the split personality thing and that she didn't mind seeing me if it was the nice me. Lunch was brought in by Luke and dinner was done by Maximus. Luke usually didn't tranquillize me, he said he could see if it was me. Maximus on the other hand enjoyed shooting darts into me. He usually shot two or three while I easily went down after one. Sometimes I talked with one of them. Usually I didn't want to talk to Maximus. He tried to start conversations but I just asked him to tranquillize me and leave. I knew it was the guy. Maximus was spying for someone. To Luke and Grace I talked down. One time me and Grace talked so long that Luke came in to bring me lunch. I guess even though I was in the cage. I started seeing Luke and Grace as friends again, and I believed that worked both ways.

"So how have the Lakers been doing?" I asked Luke. The L.A Lakers were my favourite basketball team. I was from Los Angeles after all.
"They lost against the Suns last Saturday. They're playing the Kings Friday." Luke replied. I asked him to keep up with the news for me. I wanted to have some connection to the world outside my cage, and outside camp.
"If they lose that I'm giving up on them." I said while taking a zip from my coke.
"Good on you." He said laughing a bit. We sat in silence for a bit. It was still awkward sometimes. I had started to remember what happened that day a bit more. I remembered some of the things Colt had said to Maria, about Jake and Sophie. And what he had said to me before I let him take over. I wasn't going to tell Luke that I let him in. But I carried the guilt that even though Colt tried to kill them it was my fault. "Look man, we've been all right the last two weeks. Maria still wants to rip your guts out, she would have if it had left a scar. But I consider you my friend." He said. I wondered where we was getting to. "But I want you to know. That it's tough for me. Talking to you, cracking jokes and all without remembering the way you...Colt acted that day."
It was harsh to hear that. Luke was pretty much my only friend around right now. And he just told me that. "I know man. I wish I could change it. I'm sorry for what happened."
"Don't be. It's hard for me to see you two as separate people but I do know that you are. I don't blame you for any of his actions." Luke said.
"Thanks man...I appreciate that." I got up from the mattress and hoped around. "Now come on, hit me I'm starving."
"Never mind man I don't need to tranq you." He said.
"As if you don't want to shoot me." I said with a smile on my face.
"True." He laughed as he lifted the tranquillizing gun. He shot a single dart in my upper arm. It turned out that that worked quickest and the least painful. I dropped myself on the mattress and closed my eyes. I heard the lock open and Luke put the tray down. I heard the door lock again just before I dozed off.

I usually asked for books and such to read. They gave me a wooden sword so I could at least train a bit. I tried to stay in shape even though I was in a cage. I did sit ups and push ups to make myself stronger. After a while...I didn't even mind being in that cage. That's when Colt came back. It was after my after noon nap that he took over. To me it was like I was still asleep. While he was right awake. He just sat there, eyes pointed straight at the door. He was waiting for Maximus. I refused to talk to him, but Colt was looking forward to it. A spy here to destroy camp and a psycho murderer. They seemed to be the perfect match. Colt waited patiently, it was a kind of patience I didn't have. I would get bored and try to do something...Colt just sat there. It was like every trait I had, he didn't have and vice versa. When Maximus came in, a smile appeared on Colt's face.
"Happy about something Angel?" Maximus asked at a rather nasty tone.
"Angel isn't available right now...you can leave a message but I doubt he'll get it." Now a smile appeared on Maximus' face.
"You're Colt. Good to finally meet you." Apparently the difference between Colt and I was pretty major. When Colt acted like himself anyway. Maximus and I never really talked and this was the first time he met Colt but he knew it wasn't me. He would have known even if Colt hadn't made that comment.
"Personally I'm rather disappointed in you. You've been here for a few weeks and camp is still here." I would have expected Colt felt like Maximus and him were on the same side. If Maximus worked for someone like the guy in the tux he probably had a pretty good feel for death and destruction.
"All in good time." Maximus didn't seem very happy with Colt. He probably didn't expect Colt to be such a right bastard. Colt had little to no respect for anyone. Much like me Maximus had probably expected that Colt would feel they were on the same side. So many people like him didn't understand that Colt wasn't on anyone's side. He would kill you without thinking twice about it. It didn't matter if you were his ally, his enemy or a random stranger Colt didn't care about you. He only took care of himself. "So do you want me to pop the cage now?" Maximus asked.
"Yeah genius, let the killer loose, it won't make you suspicious at all. Seriously you're an idiot." Colt didn't like Maximus. We both had the same dream of course, and instead of seeing Maximus' master as a threat, he saw him as the one worth speaking to. Maximus was just the worthless middle man.
"I can also leave you in here to rot Colt. You'll never get out without my help." Maximus lost his temper. Colt had pretty much guessed that Maximus' master wanted something with him. Else Maximus would have never volunteered to feed me and him and keep doing it for so long. There was some kind of plan...and Colt wanted to be part of it. Maximus left for the door but Colt's words stopped him.
"Come on Maximus. I might be in a cage but at least I'm not someone's little bitch." Colt wasn't a big fan. He seemed like a madman but there was a lot of philosophy in that brain of his. Survival of the fittest was definitely one of the things he believed in. And the fittest didn't mean the strong, well not just the strong. Colt knew there were people he couldn't beat, those he would outsmart. Those he couldn't outsmart he would defeat. And if somewhere along the line there was someone that was stronger and smarter than him. He wasn't fit enough.
"You act like you're so tough. But one straight encounter and here you are. You killed newbies and little girls in the woods but one actual fight and you get beat up. I've been through wars and have done things you can't even imagine. I'll leave you here for another night, you'll know that you can't escape on your own by then." Maximus and Colt were both arrogant and in some way I believed they both deserved to be. I knew Colt had been through shit, and he wouldn't admit it but it effected his entire existence. The anger that created him had always been part of me. It wasn't all that noticeable when I was six years old but it would have. The violent acts I was capable of in the orphanage were not because I had to, I wanted to. But the killing, the sadism I was pushed into doing that. If I had a less violent life, Colt wouldn't be as extreme as he was.
"Don't bother...I'll be out before noon." Maximus laughed at Colt. Sadly it was true. I've said before, Colt was very resourceful.
"You are one arrogant son of a bitch. I'll see you tomorrow." Maximus said walking up the stairs. He didn't even give Colt his food.
"You certainly will slave boy."

Colt waited all night, he didn't sleep a wink. I never figured out if he was mentally preparing to escape or thinking of a way to escape. It didn't matter. While night turned into day Colt waited. Just sitting there on the mattress with a smile on his face. His escape was near. And he was eager to be in the fresh air again. Most of all he was looking forward to meeting Maximus' puppeteer. So he waited.
"Hey Angel." Grace smiled. "You didn't sleep again? Seriously you must be a Nyx kid, you rarely sleep." She said. She was carrying a tray with a sandwich, a bottle of coke and one cup of coffee. I liked coffee in the morning. Grace never drank it as she said it made her extremely hyper. Colt was more of the cigarette smoker. Whenever he woke up he was dying for a cigarette. Of course none of these bloody demigod's had any cigs. It wasn't allowed at camp and most of them probably didn't smoke outside of camp either.
"Hey Grace." Colt faked a smile. If he wasn't such a great actor he wouldn't be half as dangerous. "Maybe I am." He said. "Anyway I simply wasn't tired. I've been like that ever since I was a kid. By the way what date is it?"
"It's the eleventh I believe." Grace answered. Wow...I had been in the cage a long time. I stopped counting the days after a while. It seemed pointless.
"Only three days then. I hope I'll be out of here then."
"What's in three days?" Grace asked with curious eyes. Neither me nor Colt had either said anything about our birthday but it was getting close now. The big sixteen. If I had a normal life I would have hoped for a car...it didn't even have to be good, just something to drive around in. But my life wasn't normal...instead I would be celebrating my birthday in a cage, at least that's what I feared.
"My birthday. July fourteenth." I could hardly believe I was already that old. There were many days in my life that I wasn't sure I'd live to see the next morning. But now I was nearly sixteen, it felt weird but good.
"Wow...I didn't know that."
"It doesn't matter."
"No it does...mostly because I'm not sure we can let you out before that. The three of us have been trying to find any cases like yours in history and we can't find a single one. Before we know how to deal with Colt we can't let you out." Grace didn't even notice herself...but she came closer and closer to the cage. Until she was just in arms reach. Colt was quick as always. He grabbed her by the neck, pulled her in and locked her neck between his right arm and the cage. He pulled with his arm and the more he pulled the less air she had.
"You have the key?" He said. She tried to speak but she couldn't, she couldn't nod her head either...unlucky. "I'll take the sound of choking as a yes." Colt said. He let go of her neck and grabbed her head. He pulled the back of her head straight into the steel bars. She collapsed to the ground with blood coming from her head. "That must have hurt." Could reached his arm between the bars and into Grace's pockets...the keys were just there. They made it way too easy. The door opened with one turn of the key. He wondered if the door into...wherever was locked. He was about to find out. Up the stairs he went, towards the door. It wasn't locked. The door led to the forge. Colt didn't see that one coming. Luke was right there of course. Colt didn't actually want to fight him right now. He had more important business.
"Go back now Colt...or whatever your name is." Luke said grabbing the nearest possible weapon, in this case a hammer. Colt had already seen his weapon...a screwdriver, brought him back to the old days.
"It's just me Luke. I'm sick of that cage..." Colt said.
"Bullshit you are. You're not Angel I'm not stupid."
"One of those statements is a lie." Colt said. Luke charged at him with the hammer. This time Colt was prepared. He stepped aside and Luke missed him. Colt grabbed Luke's normal hand, his other being bronze, and put it down on the workbench beside them. With his other hand he grabbed the screwdriver and stuck it in Luke's hand. He screamed in pain. "Sorry Luke...but I don't have time to play now." Colt would love to finish Luke off now but he wanted him to die slowly and painfully and he didn't have time for that now. "I might pay Maria a quick visit though. Like a late hospital visit." He wasn't going to...but that didn't mean Luke didn't believe he would.
"If you hurt her...!"
"You'll kill me blablabla. Wait till they drop then try that line again." And like that he was gone. Out of the cage, out of anyone's control. And towards the mystery man in the Tuxedo.