B/N - Hey guys! I usually try to write a little longer but we're going for another shorty today. We're getting into it in this chapter, so hopefully it has a bit more meat to it than the introduction. I made a small change to the last chapter but that was only due to the spelling of Gérard as I had forgotten the accent.

You know what to do.

Chapter 2

When Amélie awoke she noticed three things. She was naked, she couldn't move and her head was pounding. All she could taste was the dull metallic taste of blood and the of feel her chapped dry lips try to move. She could only breathe through her mouth, her nose was congested and crusty with either blood or mucus.

She tried to pull her head up but it wasn't happening. It was restrained. She felt like she had basically been strapped to a slab. The surface below her was cold and hard but it wasn't stone. Her head felt separated from the rest of the surface, like it was resting on something different.

"Merde." The words barely escaped her mouth. Her throat ached, she was hoarse. "It feels like I've been screaming. Have I been screaming?" The thought ran wild through her mind. It hurt to even think.

She tried to look down at the rest of her body but couldn't see well enough below her breasts.

"Why am I naked? What have they done with me? Have they been assaulting me?"

The thoughts made her sick.

She tried to move her arms. No go, there were two straps holding her down. One for her wrist and one for her bicep. The surface had been cut to make this possible.

Her legs. No go, there were four individual straps for each leg.

Roll over. It wasn't going to happen anyway but there was a strap holding her waist down.

Amélie sighed in frustration. The room was dark. Purposely dark.

She spotted dimly lit lights running up the sides of the ceiling and a large light directly in front of her.

Gingerly moving her head to the left she spotted some equipment that she didn't recognise. It all looked new with keyboards and monitors integrated. She gingerly turned her head the other way and noticed that there was a machine close to her with electrodes connected to it. This machine had a separate monitor, keyboard and knobs.

Frightened she again tried to wiggle out of her restraints. The surface beneath her had rubbed and chaffed her buttocks and back. She let out a cry of pain. The skin was rubbed raw and she had begun to bleed.

"Oh good, I'm glad you're awake." The voice stopped her cold. She couldn't see who was there but somebody was definitely there. "Was it male? It was definitely male."

It had sent chills down her spine, the voice was calm but it was not warm. It was detached and disinterested as if separated from existence itself.

"Where am I? Who are you?!" Her voice broke.

The man chuckled.

"Are we going to go through this again? The treatment must be working. Do you still know who you are?" So slimly, so condescending.

"What do you mean again? What do you mean 'do I still know who I am?' Why wouldn't I know? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?"

Now she remembers why she was screaming. Now she remembers why she is hoarse. Only fragments of memories came back to her and it was nothing that made any sense. Flashes of light, crying, sharp hissing and that's all she could grasp.

"If you are going to kill me then just do it! You won't get any information from me." She spat the words as hard she could. It hurt so much to speak but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

Laughter could be heard echo around the room.

"Oh no, we're not going to kill you. That'd be too easy. We're going to use you."

Amélie heard footsteps approach her but still she couldn't see anyone nearby.

"We're just making some adjustments remember? You're going to kill Gérard." He was firm this time. Firm and arrogant, as if he knew how things were going to play out.

"No! I love him. I will never do it!" Defiance had finally broken through into her voice. She didn't care if it made her throat bleed. She wasn't going to let this happen.

"You will do what we ask." Amélie had obviously struck a nerve. His voice sharp like it was trying to pierce into her mind.

"People will be looking for me. It must have been days now. They will find me." Defiance was gone as soon as it had arrived. Desperation had taken over this time. "They have to find me." Her mind was racing. She felt a hard tug at the back of her head, making it impossible for her to move. She still couldn't see anyone. "Are there more than one person in this room. What is going on?"

More footsteps surrounded her, fast footsteps, urgent footsteps. The straps around her arms, legs and waist were pulled uncomfortably tight. There was so much pressure that it was hard to breathe. Amélie could see a flurry of movement out of the corner of her eyes but again no faces, no figures. The room grew louder with a start-up hum of the machines she had spotted earlier.

Black hands appeared out of nowhere and slapped the electrodes on her head. Two on her temples, one on her forehead and one on her chin. She felt a sharp stab behind both of her ears that made her scream out in pain.

Rapid clacking and the energising of further equipment made her heart rate quicken.

"They won't find you until we are ready for them to find you."

A/N - And there it is guys. We have begun.

I hope you enjoyed it, please feel free to leave a review. I always like to know people's thoughts on this. What will happen in the next one? No body knows, not even me.