tmmdeathwishraven - It's okay, I love it when people freak out over my stories! I'm glad you like it so much!
1Shadow-kun - I've already written a few more chapters, so hopefully updates will be coming more frequently.
Hero Memory - Thank you! And yes, Jinks is kind of losing his mind worrying about Claudia.
Chinagirl18 - I can't reveal all just yet, but this chapter will let you know what's going on.
Mari - Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!
Swamp Fairy - Thank you! And, even in a fic about Steve and Claudia, I try to give her little moments with Artie. I love the father and daughter vibe between Artie and Claudia. I'm glad you think everyone was in character, because that's one of my main goals when writing a fanfic. And about H.G. - in this fic, she's still off wherever the Regents have taken her.
mondler1998 - To give off a vibe of creepiness was my goal with this fic. And I'm glad you think it's so awesome!
Katriana Freelander - I hope you like this update! And more updates will be coming soon!
KeepFaith-SmellApples - Here's the next chap.! I hope you like it!
They starved him for three days.
They called it a "fast", said they were trying to keep all the unhealthy foods out of his body, but Steve knew what they were really doing. If he couldn't eat, then he couldn't escape. He tried to keep his strength up, but by the end of the three days he was so hungry he was kneeling between the two poles he was cuffed to, no longer having the strength to stand.
"Are we ready to cooperate?" Steve looked up to see the man with the fanatic eyes looming over him, holding a cup of water. He wanted that water so, so badly. Throughout the past couple of days, they had only given him sips, small ones, just enough to keep him alive. The one whole cup of water looked like heaven to him.
"Yes. Yes, I'll cooperate." Steve croaked through dry lips. It was a lie, of course it was. I just needed to lie to get the water. Steve thought desperately.
"Here." The man held the cup to Steve's lips and he drank it all. It was so good... Steve was instantly thirsty for more. He tried to find the last few drops after all the rest had gone, desperate for more water. The man with the fanatic eyes pulled the cup back and turned to two men behind him. "He's ready."
The men uncuffed Steve and dragged him between them to a small cell. They threw him inside, where he collapsed. But this cell, with only a small cot and a toilet, looked like paradise to him. At that statement, his heart stopped in his chest. Steve knew he was being brainwashed. He forced himself to think of Leena's B&B, with its soft beds, warm food and clean water. And he forced himself to think of all the people that occupied Leena's. Pete. Myka. Artie. Leena.
Claudia.
Steve missed her so much. He hadn't figured out what had happened to her, and he couldn't get the thought of her broken and hurt out of his head. She was being held in this place, being starved just like he was. Or worse.
They would torture her for any info they could get - he didn't doubt this now. If they were willing to starve him to the point of collapsing, then they would do the same to her. And what could he do to protect her? He could barely even summon the energy to crawl across the cell floor to the cot.
He closed his eyes, pretending that he could get a message out to her, wherever she was.
I'm coming for you. I don't care what they do to me, I'll make sure you get out of here. I promise.
Steve?
Steve's eyes flew open. No. This was a hallucination. A lack of water and food fooling his brain, making him think -
I'm hallucinating. Have to be. It was the head injury. Steve's not talking to me.
Claud?
This was insane. He was talking to a delusion.
Steve?
He had to stop this. He shouldn't be speaking to a delusion - that was one step too close to insanity.
I am not a delusion! If anyone's the delusion, you are!
Okay, tell me something about you that I would believe, but don't know.
I bribed that salesgirl to ask you if you watched "Revenge", because I really wanted you to watch it.
...Claudia?!
Yo.
Steve leaned against the cell wall, trying to come to terms with what was going on. He was speaking to Claudia...possibly. While he was becoming more and more convinced that he was talking to his best friend, he knew he still couldn't rule out the idea of her being a delusion. Although...
Maybe this was one of the metronome's downsides. It would make sense that the metronome would bond their minds together.
This isn't much of a downside, Jinksy.
Jinks jumped. Apparently Claudia could hear his thoughts...all of them. He was going to have to be careful what he said - no, thought - around her.
Pish-posh Jinksy. Like I can't be trusted to keep your secrets...well, secret.
Sorry, Claud.
Steve took a deep breath. Well, whether he really was talking to Claudia or a delusion of Claudia, he might as well get the most out of it that he could.
Where are you? I talked to you a few days ago, and then you were taken away by those psychos.
Wait - who? I've been only in the Warehouse for the past couples days, although I guess Artie could count as a psycho now. He's really freaked out about everything.
You're in the Warehouse?
Steve wasn't sure what to think. He had heard Claudia's voice as clear as day. Then it hit him.
When we talked a few days ago...we were using our minds, weren't we?
He really was speaking to Claudia, and not some delusion. It made sense that he could have made up a delusion of Claudia after being isolated for three days, but that didn't excuse the first day of capture. He hadn't been in a bad enough condition to dream up an imaginary Claudia on the first day.
I think so. I'd love to believe that you're just hidden somewhere in the Warehouse, but I'm pretty sure that's not happening.
No. Some people came into the B&B and dragged me out.
We know. Pete and Myka used the Durational Spectrometer. I'm trying to run the faces from it through the Warehouse database, but I can't find anything. Wait - you can tell me everything!
At this, Steve suddenly felt a jolt of excitement. But it didn't feel right: when the emotion rushed through his veins, it felt artificial in his body. Steve suddenly realized that he was feeling Claudia's emotions.
Sorry Claud. I have no clue where I am. I don't even know the names of my abductors. They're smart, though. They starved me -
They WHAT?
Once again, Steve felt the same artificial rush, and realized that his predictions were correct, he could feel what Claudia was feeling. Right now he could sense her fury, raw and powerful.
They're trying to subdue me, keeping me too hungry to escape and get help.
Steve could feel Claudia's rage growing, and knew he had to get the rest of the info out before she exploded.
And Claud - they know I was dead.
At once the rage dropped away and was replaced with fear. And the one thought that remained in Claudia's head -
This is my fault.
No. Claud, don't think like that.
Yes it is! I wasn't careful enough! I should have...done something, had more security measures when I brought you back. I'm so sorry Jinksy.
Claudia's shame overwhelmed Jinks. For a second he was drowning in her guilt, unable to navigate or control the feelings that weren't his. Then, just as suddenly, the guilt stopped. But something was different. It felt like a switch had been shut off in his head.
Claud? Claudia? Claudia!
It was as he suspected...Claudia was gone.
He looked around the dingy cell, trying to ignore the stabbing of his stomach pains, and the whispers of a group of people walking past his cell, staring at him as if he were a zoo animal.
Don't leave me here alone...