A/N: I've recently been expanding into several other fandoms, but I thought I'd take a break from that for a bit and get back to what I really love... which is killing/torturing these Gracepunks and leaving you guys on colossal cliff hangers that will make you lust for my blood. So! Chapter twelve!
The reason this chapter took me so long is because it's actually kind of a filler chapter, and you know how much trouble I have with those. But either way...
To quote from the Joker... And here we go...
Gracepunk
Andrew opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor of a brightly lit room. The ground was hard, and the air was absolutely freezing.
Slowly sitting up, Andrew looked around. That was when he noticed a small figure lying curled up in the corner. Andrew quickly stood up and moved towards the figure.
"Caleb...?"
Caleb immediately looked up at Andrew. "It worked!" he exclaimed, looking happy yet exhausted.
"What worked?" asked Andrew, kneeling down in front of the little Seer. "Where are we?"
"You're still in a tent in the middle of the woods," said Caleb, "and I'm... well... in a prison cell..."
Andrew stared at him blankly.
"You're dreaming," clarified Caleb, adjusting so that his back was against the wall.
"Why would I be dreaming this...?" asked Andrew slowly, trying to think of a good question that wouldn't make him look like an idiot.
"Well, you're not technically dreaming this," said Caleb. "You're asleep, and my Grace is somehow letting me talk to you through your dream."
"Have you always been able to do this?"
"No, it's new."
"Oh. Wait, does this mean you're asleep too?"
"Yes," said Caleb, rolling his eyes a bit.
Andrew nodded, but that was when he noticed how pale Caleb looked. He didn't look as bad as he did after getting shot, but it was close. Andrew also noticed that he was clutching his left arm, and his right leg was broken. There were a few new bloodstains on his jacket.
"What happened to you?" asked Andrew, suddenly concerned.
"Well... at the moment, I'm in what they call the Cold Room... and it's basically a torture room," he said, trying to be delicate.
Andrew was shocked. "They tortured you?!"
Caleb nodded nonchalantly. "Nothing too serious," he said. "Not yet at least. I haven't given up anything important, and I think the guy that's torturing me is starting to get pissed. His name's Jasper Varrow, but for some reason everyone calls him Rogue, probably because of his anger issues. Kinda short guy, black hair, pale skin, red and green eyes, two Graces... Keep an eye out for him. He's such a shit."
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "What did they even do to you?" he asked cautiously.
"Nothing much," said Caleb tiredly, looking a bit distracted. "He just tossed me around the room for a bit, then stuck some nails in my side, then I ran my mouth, told him his closest companion was going to die in a few days, and he got pissed and broke my leg. As if I didn't limp already."
"Then... what happened to your arm?" asked Andrew hesitantly.
"Nothing..." he said. "Rogue just... poisoned me." As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve, and Andrew saw black streaks running all up and down his arm.
His eyes widened. "Is that-"
"Pitch? Yeah," said Caleb, pulling his sleeve back down and shivering against the cold. "It's a really diluted version, so it won't kill me, but it'll make me delirious pretty soon. That's what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid I might say something when I'm delirious... But that's not why I called you... I found out something."
"What?" asked Andrew, getting even more worried at his tone.
"It's about the brainwashing," said Caleb. "It only works on people with combat Graces."
Andrew's eyes widened. "You mean like Jen and Josh?"
Caleb nodded. "Whatever you do, you can't let them get captured. Actually, none of you should get captured except..."
He stopped and suddenly got a pained expression on his face.
"What is it?" asked Andrew nervously.
"I don't have much time to explain," said Caleb quickly, reaching out and grabbing Andrew's arm so hard that it hurt. "They're gonna try and kidnap Ben. You have to let them."
Andrew was shocked. "Why?!"
"Because it's your best chance," said Caleb quickly. The room around them started to get darker, and Andrew was having a harder time focusing on him. The dream was breaking up, but Caleb continued.
"If you two are separated, it's the best chance you have. I had a vision and I know it's against the rules, but maybe I can change it."
Before Andrew could ask what he was talking about, everything went dark and Caleb was gone.
Andrew sat bolt upright with a gasp.
The air was cold and the tent was dark. Looking around, he saw the faint outline of Ben lying sprawled on the other side of the tent.
He thought about what Caleb had said. That if Ben got captured, they shouldn't go after him. Even though he trusted the kid, it felt like betrayal.
With a sigh, he figured he'd think about it in the morning when he was wide awake. However, when he laid down again, he winced as a small shard of pain shot through his arm. He lifted his sleeve and saw that his arm was physically bruised from where Caleb had grabbed him.
Whatever just happened, it hadn't been just in his head.
Caleb slowly blinked his eyes open, not surprised to see Rogue standing over him holding a knife. His vision was foggy, however, because of the poison and the pain it was causing.
"So," said Rogue, casually passing the knife between his hands, "from what your friend James told us, you've got a healer in your group."
Caleb cocked his head to the side. "He told you that?"
"Well, not directly," said Rogue. "We have the whole place bugged, and he mentioned it to one of our healers. The point being, we need extra healers. So if you tell me where they're going, I won't stick this knife in you."
Caleb raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure you guys would want him," he said, trying to keep the smart-ass tone out of his voice. "He panics too easily. If the situation is too intense, he'll freak out and he won't be able to heal anybody. Not someone you guys want on your little dream team."
Rogue nodded. "That's very interesting, but it doesn't answer my question."
"It's like the middle of the night. Do you even sleep?"
"Only after I have information."
"Then in that case come back in the morning."
"Oh, I will," said Rogue. With that, he took his knife and cut a small slit across Caleb's chest. "Sweet dreams," he said, kicking Caleb's broken leg before leaving.
Caleb was shocked – and reeling in pain – at his sudden exit and only giving him a small cut with the knife, but a moment later he understood what Rogue meant. The cut started to burn, and when he pulled down his collar to look, he saw more black streaks extending from the wound and quickly spreading.
Only a minute later, the pain rendered him unconscious.
All the noise finally died down at around two in the morning.
Warren was laying awake, listening for voices. As far as he could tell, everybody was asleep. He knew he would have to be quiet, especially because Ginger had the ears of a bat.
Slowly, he painfully forced himself into a sitting position. The pain was so intense that he started gasping for breath. But he was determined.
After finally managing to get upright, he sat for a bit to catch his breath. When he was finally able to breathe somewhat normally again, he carefully unhooked himself from the various machines he was plugged into. Then he cautiously swung his legs over the side of his bed and forced himself to his feet.
For a minute, the pain completely blinded him, and he had to grip the side of his bed to keep from collapsing. However, when his vision did come back, he was able to carefully and quietly move, even though he was still exhausted from sneaking around earlier that day. Which reminded him...
Glancing back, he adjusted his pillow so that the audio tape was still hidden. If anybody found out he took the recording from the Cold Room, they would kill him.
As quietly as he could, he snuck out the door. Using the back passages and hidden hallways, he made his way down to the prisons unseen.
The stairs were the hardest part, and halfway down them, he had to stop again to catch his breath. He noticed that the wound on his side was starting to bleed through the bandages again.
He finally made it down to the prison cells. All the lights were off, so he was able to sneak through the door easily. It also helped that he had done this more than a thousand times.
Quietly drifting to the end of the hallway, he came up to the very last cell on the left. Everyone inside was asleep except for one person.
The albino girl with the long white hair – Alice – stood up when she saw him.
"Hello, Icy," he whispered, leaning against the bars of the cell for support.
Icy came right up to the other side of the bars. She took his hand and smiled at him, which was her way of saying hello, since she hadn't spoken since she was captured and imprisoned five years ago.
"Sorry I didn't stop by in the last few days," he said. "I've been kinda... busy."
She nodded, still holding his hand.
"I can't stay long," he said quietly, already feeling lightheaded from being on his feet for so long. "But... I think something's going to happen soon. I think we might finally be able to get out of here."
She smiled happily, especially since she and Warren had been planning to escape together for three years now. She stood on her toes and pressed her face against the bars. Warren bent down and kissed her, and she squeezed his hand before letting go.
"Goodnight," he said as he backed up. "I love you. I'll try and come back tomorrow."
She nodded, still smiling. He turned and left, heading back to the sick bay.
It took him much longer to get back, especially since the pain was slowly getting worse. When he finally did make it back to his bed, he collapsed and painfully curled up under the blanket. His fever was getting higher, making him feel colder. He could feel his wounds bleeding again, and the pain was making him feel nauseous.
Knowing it was going to be a long night, he didn't bother hooking himself back up to the machines. Hopefully Ginger would assume he had accidentally unhooked himself in his sleep.
Curling up on his uninjured side, he quietly shivered himself to sleep.
James knew that the day was over when the lights flickered on and off three times. All of the other Gracelings stepped back from their workbenches and tiredly walked towards the back of the shop, where a large set of metal doors slid open. The small group of technokinetics filed through the doors, and James followed.
"What's going on?" he asked, turning to the tall man walking next to him. He noticed it was the same Scottish man with the red hair who he had spoken to earlier.
"Time to turn in," said the man tiredly. "Once we're all inside, they'll close and lock the doors, then collect the stuff we built today."
James nodded. As they entered the room, he looked around. It was small, but warm. There were beds all lined up against the wall, and in the back of the room, there was a bathroom.
All of the Gracelings went to their claimed beds, and the tall man gestured to an empty bed against the right wall. "You can have that one," he said.
"Okay, thanks," said James. He started to limp towards his bed, but the tall man stopped him.
"I just wanna warn you," he said. "Simon usually ends up in a different bed every night. And he seems to like you, so you can probably expect to find him next to you tomorrow morning."
James looked over at Simon, who was sitting on his bed, cleaning off his glasses.
Slowly, James nodded. "Thanks for the warning," he said. "Um... just one quick question."
"Yeah?"
"Why does he ask about people's families and how they died?" asked James.
The tall man bit his lip before speaking. "I'm not sure exactly, but I think he thinks part of his family may have survived. That's why he always asks. He's still holding onto the hope that there's still someone out there."
James felt his heart sink. "How long has he been here...?"
"Longer than the rest of us," said the man sadly. "He was so young when he was kidnapped. He says they stole him from right under the noses of his parents, and before they could do anything, they were killed."
"What he said earlier... he said he was only five when he was kidnapped..." whispered James.
The man nodded.
"Doesn't he have any older brothers or sisters out looking for him?"
The man shook his head. "Says he's an only child..." The man paused for a moment before sighing sadly. "The poor kid was stuck down here all alone for an entire year, with no one but the drones and the Gracebeasts to keep him company."
James bit his lip to stop himself from gasping. "There wasn't anybody else?"
The man shrugged. "There were so few of us to begin with... The poor kid... His only friend was one of the younger Gracebeasts. You've probably seen him. Skinny lad that looks more like a beanpole than a beast."
James nodded. "Yeah, I know him..." He felt the blood drain from his face as he thought back to what had happened to the skinny Gracebeast.
The tall man nodded. "I think that's why the poor boy can't stand to be alone. He has nightmares every night. Like I said, don't be surprised if you wake up with him curled up under your arm. In fact, he kinda looks a bit like a puppy when he sleeps..."
James smiled a bit, glancing over at Simon to see him curled up under his blanket, facing the wall.
The tall man laughed a bit. "Well, I guess I've wasted your time enough for one night. Get some rest. You look like you need it."
"Thanks..." said James, trying to hide his tired smile by turning and heading for the spare bed. He started to walk over to it, but then he stopped and turned to the tall man. "What did you say your name was again?"
"My real name's Austin, but everyone just calls me Red," said the tall man, smiling a chip-toothed smile.
James nodded. "Nice to meet you," he said.
Red nodded. "Nice to meet you too."
A few hours later, James gasped and snapped his eyes open. It took him a moment to remember that he was in the prison.
Suddenly, he felt something move. Looking to his right, he saw that Simon was curled up under his arm, just like Red had said.
James tiredly smiled. The boy reminded him so much of his son that it hurt. He liked the kid because he reminded him so much of his son, but for that reason he also didn't want to get too close to him.
He didn't want to reopen old wounds that had finally healed...
But he couldn't help but smile as Simon snuggled up against his side.
Still smiling, James closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Caleb was in for a rude awakening the next morning.
WHAM!
Gasping for breath, Caleb sat bolt upright and clutched his ribs where Rogue had kicked him.
"Nice night?" asked Rogue politely, standing over him with his hands behind his back.
"I've had worse," muttered Caleb, noticing that his leg had been healed.
Rogue nodded. "Then in that case, it'll probably take a bit more convincing before you tell us where your friends are heading."
Caleb shrugged. His mind was still hazy from sleep and the poison, which was still raging through him, making it hard to concentrate.
"How about this," said Rogue, holding up his hand, which suddenly crackled with electricity. "Tell me what you know, and I won't electrocute you."
Caleb raised an eyebrow. "You should really be more careful about how you phrase your words around a smart-ass like me. I know a lot more than you think I do. I know that the Baron is standing outside watching – hi Uncle – and he isn't very impressed with your methods."
"I already know that," snarled Rogue. "So why don't you tell me something I don't know."
A maniacal grin spread across Caleb's face. "I can tell you how you're going to die..."
Rogue was silent.
Caleb chuckled a bit. "The Glitch," he said. "You and the Baron are going to die horrible violent deaths because of the Glitch."
Rogue still didn't say anything, and his facial expression didn't change.
Caleb's grin widened. "Oh. He didn't tell you? He didn't warn you about the Glitch? Well... you shouldn't feel bad. He didn't warn the Baron about it either. None of you know... Well you're going to find out the hard way. Fire will be your downfall, but the Glitch will kill you..."
Something beeped on Rogue's watch – most likely a message from the Baron.
"Oh, looks like our time's up," said Rogue. Suddenly, he lunged forward and grabbed Caleb by the front of his shirt. He picked him up and slammed him into the wall. "Now, are you going to tell us where your friends are?"
"In your dreams, cupcake," growled Caleb.
"Thought so," said Rogue. He then fired electricity into Caleb's chest.
Caleb flinched, expecting to start convulsing, but nothing happened. The electricity didn't hurt him. He opened his eyes and saw Rogue looking dumbstruck.
He started laughing, a deranged, unstable laugh.
"Well look at that!" he exclaimed psychotically. Then he sent the electricity right back to Rogue.
The shock threw Rogue across the room, and Caleb, who he had dropped right after being shocked, slid down the wall and crumpled to the floor, blood flowing from his nose. He was still laughing, his eyes wide and deranged. Half of his face was covered in blood, but he kept laughing, occasionally stopping to violently cough up blood.
Across the room, Rogue stood up. Instead of looking pissed, he actually looked scared. He quickly backed towards the door, and when he reached it, he ran out and slammed it shut behind him.
There was a hissing noise, and a light gray gas started to fill the room.
But Caleb kept laughing.
He laughed until the gas infiltrated his system and knocked him out.
Just before he passed out, the laughter died and he had a single clear thought.
He was losing his fragile grip on sanity.
The forest was dead silent. Beyond the trees above, Andrew could see dark gray clouds hanging low in the sky. There was a freezing cold breeze occasionally blowing through and causing the trees to sway, but it was eerie.
It was the calm before the storm.
As they walked, Andrew kept thinking about what Caleb had said to him. He hadn't told anybody about it though, because he wasn't sure he would be able to explain what had happened.
He was worried though. Caleb had said that Ben was going to get captured, and that they shouldn't try and save him. And what did Caleb see in his vision that would make him worried enough to try and change it? Also, how would staying away from Ben be bad for him? If he got hurt, Ben would be able to heal him.
As much as he trusted Caleb, he knew the kid could be unstable. Maybe whatever vision he saw had been a mistake.
He made a decision.
He wouldn't let the Gracebeasts take Ben... and if they tried, he would go after him.
When Caleb finally woke up, his head was clear. The gas had gone, and his grip on sanity had returned. But he was scared that it would slip away again.
He still wasn't sure what had exactly happened. Why hadn't he been electrocuted?
After a moment, though, he remembered the Skyspark. It had absorbed into his skin and given him a small boost of energy, yes, but was it also possible that it had made him immune to electrocution?
Before he had time to think more about it, the door to the Cold Room opened and someone came in. He was surprised, though, when it wasn't Rogue.
The girl that came in was tall and thin as a vine. She had bright red hair, pale skin, and her eyes were bright red and toxic green; she didn't look older than 21. She was wearing a dark green trench coat over the typical black Gracebeast uniform. Rogue walked in behind her and stood off to the side.
"It's so cold in here," she said casually as she came in, closing the door behind her.
"You'll get used to it after a while," said Rogue nonchalantly. He then gestured to Caleb, who was sitting slumped against the wall. "Go ahead, Venom. Just like I showed you. I'll be right here if anything goes wrong." He shot a glare at Caleb as he said this.
The girl, Venom, who was apparently an apprentice of Rogue, nodded and walked over to Caleb. However, before she could say anything, Caleb spoke up.
"Venom?" he asked quietly. "Is that your real name, or did you just change your name to match your Grace?"
Venom smiled sweetly. "Sorry sweetie," she said, "But I'll be the one asking questions here." Then she kicked him in the chest. The sharp toe of her boot dug into Caleb's ribs, breaking several bones and leaving a deep gash. Caleb grimaced in pain and curled around the wound, blood spilling out onto his hand and shirt.
That was when Venom bent down and picked him up by the front of his shirt. Caleb realized just how strong she was as she slammed him into the wall, the action tearing open all of the recently closed wounds on his back.
"There's a reason they cal me Venom," she said, waving one of her fingers with bright green painted nails in front of his face.
Caleb only glared at her, his focus mainly on continuing to breathe.
Venom smiled evilly. Then she raked her long sharp nails across Caleb's chest.
The pain started burning immediately as the venom from the poisonous girl's scratches seeped into his blood. Venom dropped him, and he crumpled to the ground, convulsing and screaming. Venom smiled and walked back towards Rogue, ignoring Caleb as he writhed on the ground in pain.
"How was that?" Venom asked Rogue.
"Not bad," said Rogue, as he opened the door. "Though next time you might want to prolong the torture, and ask more questions. It's more satisfying that way."
Venom nodded as she and Rogue stepped out of the Cold Room. "I can't wait until next time," she said. "I like hearing them scream."
They closed the door behind them, leaving Caleb to burn from the inside...
James stood absentmindedly building the gun that was on his blueprint today. He was trying his best to focus on his work and not think about Simon – both the one standing next to him and the one who had died years ago.
Still, he couldn't help but glance over and see what the kid was up to.
He was a bit shocked to see that Simon was building a tiny mechanical dragonfly. He watched for a few minutes as Simon worked on the little dragonfly, but he couldn't seem to get it to work properly. To James, it looked like the tiny robot didn't have enough power.
Then he remembered something.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a tiny vial with a Skyspark in it, one that Caleb had given him.
"Here, use this," he said, handing it to Simon.
Simon stared at the Skyspark for a moment before carefully unscrewing the cap and pouring the little lightning bolt into the palm of his hand. He then gently tilted his hand and let the lightning bolt slide into the dragonfly's open head. Once it was inside, he closed the head, and the eyes lit up, glowing lightning blue.
Simon gasped happily as the little mechanical but looked around and took flight, hovering in midair, it's tiny wings fluttering quickly. It zipped around the room for a minute before flying back to Simon. He held out his hand, and it perched on his finger.
"That's amazing," said James, unable to keep from smiling.
"Thanks," said Simon, focusing on his dragonfly. "It's the first one that actually works..." Gently, he reached forward and tapped the dragonfly on the head. It shuddered before curling up into a tiny metal sphere, which Simon put in his pocket.
James smiled, but he quickly hid it and continued to work.
Icy was sitting on her bed in her cell. It was kinda late at night, so Martin and Jacob were already asleep.
The later it got, the more worried Icy got. Warren hadn't been back since last night...
Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway opened, allowing light to shine into the darkened passages and cells. For a moment, Icy thought it might be Warren. However, the dark figure that rushed forward and stopped in front of their cell wasn't him.
It was Felix.
He unlocked the door and opened it. Then he looked right at Icy.
"I need your help," he said, looking worried.
Icy looked at Electro and Danielle. They both shrugged. Icy looked back at Felix and slowly stood up. Felix opened the door wider to give her space to exit. Once she did, he closed and locked the door.
"Come with me," he said, not even bothering to handcuff her or hold onto her arm. He led her upstairs to the main part of the Factory and then led her to the medical ward. They walked inside, and Icy winced a bit at the bright lights and the smell of disinfectant.
Ginger was waiting in one of the isles. She smiled sadly when she saw Icy.
"Glad to see you came," said Ginger.
Icy shrugged, as if to say she didn't have much of a choice.
Ginger nodded a bit before turning to walk down the isle of curtains. "Come with me," she said to Icy, who nodded and followed her closely. However, when Felix started to follow, Ginger stopped him.
"Give him a bit of privacy," she said. Felix slowly nodded and went to sit outside on the bench, which still had claw marks on them from his previous fit of rage.
Ginger brought Icy down to the end of the isle and pulled back the curtain to reveal Warren. She gasped, shocked at how sick and injured he looked.
"His fever is really high, and Duncan's exhausted from trying to keep it down," explained Ginger as Icy rushed to Warren's side. "I know for a fact that your particular ankle bracelet is missing the part that keeps you from using your Grace, so..."
Icy nodded, gently stroking the hair out of Warren's sweaty face.
"Just try and get his fever back below 102," said Ginger, leaving and pulling the curtains closed.
Icy glanced at one of the machines that Warren was hooked up to. The machine said his fever was around 106, which was incredibly close to being lethal. Holding Warren's hand in her right, she put her left hand on his chest and activated her Grace, sending gentle waves of coolness through his body until his temperature started to decline back into a safer range.
It was only when his temperature had reached 100.5 that Warren woke up. He blinked his eyes open and smiled up at Icy.
"About time I woke up to a pretty face," he said, his voice so weak that Icy could barely detect the sarcasm.
"Shh," she whispered, gently stroking his hair back.
Warren smiled gratefully and gripped her hand a bit tighter. "Thank you..." he whispered.
In response, Icy bent over and kissed him on the forehead. His smile widened, and a moment later, his eyes slid closed and he was asleep again.
Icy waited for a moment before leaving. She found Ginger waiting in the main area of the medical ward.
"Everything okay?" asked Ginger. Icy nodded. "Good. We'll let you know if his fever gets worse again. And thank you."
Icy nodded and walked out of the medical ward. When Felix saw her, he stood up and walked with her back down to the prison cells. He unlocked her cell door and let her in before turning and running back up towards the medical ward.
"Is everything okay?" asked Danielle, seeing as Electro had fallen asleep.
Icy nodded, laying down on her bed.
"You went to see Warren, didn't you?"
She nodded.
"Do you think he's gonna be okay?"
Again, she nodded. She knew he would get better.
The next morning, Rogue stood outside the Cold Room, looking through the window at the kid. He was curled up facing the wall, probably asleep. Several of the bloodstains on his jacket were bigger.
Just as he was selecting which knife he would use for the next torture session, his watched beeped and a message scrolled across the screen.
It was from the Baron.
Quickly sheathing his knife, he turned and rapidly made his way to the main hall, where the Baron was pacing back and forth in front of his oil-stained throne.
"You called, Sir?" said Rogue as he entered and stood respectfully with his hands behind his back.
The Baron nodded. "Last night, Felix came and asked me if he could go out and try and capture another one of those Gracelings. Actually, just one in particular. The healer."
Rogue nodded, and the Baron continued.
"The thing is," he said, "the last time he was out there, he was half blinded by that pyro. I want you to go out there with him and make sure there aren't any problems."
"Yes sir," said Rogue, nodding respectfully. "What should I do about the pyro?"
The Baron thought for a moment. "If the opportunity presents itself... kill him."
"Yes sir..."
"Leave tonight," said the Baron. "You have the rest of the day to get some information out of that kid. If you can't get him to reveal where they're heading by the end of the day... well... I'll handle that."
Rogue nodded. "I was actually thinking about letting one of my apprentices give it a shot today."
The Baron shrugged nonchalantly. "It makes no difference to me as long as he talks."
"Why don't I torture the older one?" asked Rogue. "The one that came in here with him?"
"Because we need people with his Grace to keep building our weapons and machines," said the Baron sternly. "You're dismissed. Come back to me only when you have information."
"Yes sir," said Rogue, bowing and leaving the room.
Caleb was sitting against the wall of the Cold Room, absently doodling on the floor in his own blood. He knew he would be in pain again soon, so he cherished the rare moment of tranquility.
Suddenly, the door swung open and Caleb knew his moment of peace was over.
However, instead of Rogue walking in, another girl came in. She had black hair with red streaks, and she was carrying a guitar.
"Are you another one of Rogue's apprentices?" asked Caleb tiredly.
The girl smiled a humorless smile and nodded. "I'm Melody," she said coldly, looking ready to shank him as soon as he blinked.
Caleb nodded. "I know."
"Hm... What else do you know?" asked Melody, leaning on her guitar.
"I know that you're supposed to be torturing me for information," said Caleb. "I also know that you're Rogue's favorite apprentice, since he isn't in the room. He's also not recording this or listening in, so he obviously trusts you, which is very bad news for me." When he said this, he shot a snarky glare at the two-way mirror that he knew Rogue was watching from behind.
"That's very nice," said Melody, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, she lunged forward and pressed her heeled boot against Caleb's chest, pinning him to the wall. The sharp heel of her boot started digging uncomfortably into Caleb's already wounded ribs.
"Now," said Melody, "are you going to tell me what I want to know, or will I have to beat it out of you?"
Caleb didn't answer. He was staring transfixed at her boot.
"Have you gone swimming recently?" he gasped out suddenly.
The question caught Melody off guard. She eased the pressure off of her boot, a look of confusion crossing her face. "What?"
"This is black leather," said Caleb, inspecting the boot a bit closer now that he could breathe. "When you get it wet, it changes color a bit. It hasn't rained at all recently, and the marks are almost ankle height, so - … oh..."
Melody stepped away from him as something in his eyes changed. His eyes glazed over with a distant look and his pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"Oh, it makes sense now..." he muttered.
"What are you talking about?" demanded Melody, her grip on her guitar tightening.
Caleb shook his head, but his eyes didn't change. "It's too early, isn't it? Too early to tell?"
Melody snarled. "Too early for what?"
Caleb shrugged. "Your baby. I was wondering if it's a boy or girl."
He didn't even see the blow coming. Melody hit him across the jaw with her guitar, fracturing his jaw and knocking out a tooth on the bottom left-hand side. The sheer force behind the blow turned him around and he hit the ground, facing the wall, barely conscious.
Outside the Cold Room, Rogue winced at the sheer force Melody had put behind the swing. He hadn't been able to hear what the boy had said, but it clearly upset Melody. He watched as she continued to hit Caleb across the back with her guitar.
Several minutes later, Melody got tired, half of the guitar's strings were snapped and there was a large crack in the body, and Caleb was unconscious on the ground with a few more broken ribs and several fractured vertebrae. He was gasping for breath as one of his lungs slowly filled with blood.
Melody then turned and ran out of the room crying, leaving Rogue standing speechless wondering what the hell just happened.
Quietly, he went inside the Cold Room and knelt down next to Caleb. If brute force wouldn't get an answer, then maybe he should try something else...
He thought for a minute before finally remembering the kid's name.
"Caleb," he whispered, doing his best to add some warmth into his voice, which was difficult after 26 years of not showing any affection to anybody.
The kid responded with a small groan, signaling that he was at least partially conscious.
"Listen carefully," he said. "Your friends are in trouble. I need to know where they are so I can send help."
He was quiet for a minute before muttering a single word: "Lie..."
Rogue sat back, breathing a small sigh in frustration. Even unconscious, the kid was telling himself to lie.
Or... was he...?
Rogue's eyes widened, and he quickly stood up and left the room.
He knew where the Gracelings were heading.
Caleb gasped an opened his eyes. He quickly started to push himself into a sitting position, seeing as lying face-down on the cold ground. However, a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Don't move," said a quiet voice.
Caleb froze, but he slowly turned his head to look at who was talking. It was Frankie, the older healer.
"W-what happened?" asked Caleb, his head ringing.
"You pissed off Melody," he said. "That's what happened. She broke a few bones and gave you a pretty bad concussion. There we go. Try sitting up now."
Carefully, Caleb pushed himself upright, but as soon as he got to his hands and knees, he started coughing. Blood dripped out of his mouth.
"That'll happen for a few more hours," said Frankie, gently patting Caleb on the back.
Caleb only shook his head before sitting back against the wall. "Thanks for the help..." he muttered, closing his eyes.
Frankie sighed. He slowly stood up and left the room, not saying anything as he walked past Rogue and back up to the medical ward.
Once he made it back up, he went into the back room, where Ginger and Duncan were waiting.
"What's the news on the little guy?" asked Duncan.
"Physically, not as bad as he could be," said Frankie, not failing to notice that Duncan had his sleeve rolled up and there was an empty syringe sitting on the table next to him. "I'm just worried about his sanity... and..."
"And what?" asked Ginger.
"And... I think he may have said something," he said quietly. "I think he may have revealed where his friends are..."
Rogue walked into the main hall for the third time that day. He had only been in there an hour before, and that was when he told the Baron where the Gracelings were. He was only back because the Baron had called him back.
"You called, sir?"
The Baron nodded. He was sitting on his throne with his head in his hand. He looked tired, and also worried.
"Rogue..." said the Baron, his voice quiet, "I think I'm dying."
Rogue raised an eyebrow. "This isn't because of what the kid said, is it?"
He didn't respond. That was how Rogue knew he was actually serious.
"Listen," said the Baron, leaning forward. "When you come back tomorrow, I'm going to transfer control of the drones over to you."
Rogue nodded, knowing that the drones were controlled through a mental connection. If the Baron died while he was still mentally in control of the drones, then all of the drones would die too.
The Baron nodded. "Now go get prepared."
Rogue nodded and bowed respectfully, turning and leaving the room. He made his way to one of the weapon rooms. Felix was already inside, gathering knives.
Rogue only took a few weapons before turning to Felix. "Let's go," he said, walking out.
Felix followed him.
It was late at night. Caleb was curled up on the floor of the Cold Room, sleeping. It was the first time in a while that he didn't have to worry about being tortured, because he knew that Rogue had left hours ago. He was, however, worried about Ben and Andrew.
He still hadn't forgotten what he had seen happening to them. It was a miracle he had actually gotten to sleep.
He had taken off his shirt and jacket. He had laid out his shirt so that he could sleep on that instead of the cold hard ground, and he was using his jacket as a blanket.
His sleep was shallow and feverish, but he still didn't hear the door to the Cold Room slowly creak open.
A dark, shadowy figure crept into the room, blending perfectly with the shadows. It was only when the shadowy figure was standing right in front of Caleb that his sixth sense kicked in, warning him of the danger and violently jolting him awake.
He snapped his eyes open with a gasp and came face to face with the Seamstress.
He didn't even have a chance to scream before she used her Grace. A flashing blue light seemed to emanate from her eyes, and Caleb was in a trance. He went completely limp, his eyes wide open and his face frozen in shock.
She got to work immediately. Using a small needle and thin red thread, she sewed his fingers together. Then she ran the thread through his fingers and sewed them to his palms so that his hands were curled into fists. Then, using a thicker needle and thread that resembled sharp wire, she sewed his hands and arms together, all the way up to his elbows. The wire thread was already becoming stained red as small trickles of blood leaked out around the puncture wounds.
Making sure his arms were bound, she moved on to his bare feet, which were already sliced up and bloody. She quickly sewed his toes together with the wire, and then she sewed his toes to the bottom of his feet. Then, after sewing his ankles together, she repositioned him so that he was curled up in the fetal position. She then sewed his hands and feet together, effectively immobilizing him.
She did it all in less than a minute.
After taking a moment to look at her handiwork, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers, bringing Caleb out of the trance.
He immediately started screaming. The first scream was the one he hadn't been able to get out when she first came in. The second scream was more of a whimper. That one was from the pain.
He struggled against his bonds for half a second before realizing that they were sewn into his skin. The pain took his breath away, and for a second he thought he was going to have an asthma attack.
"Thissss will only hurt more if you sssssstruggle," she hissed.
Caleb whimpered for a moment before holding still. He wasn't able to relax his muscles, though, because it pulled at the stitches and sent waves of pain ricocheting through his body.
Slowly, the Seamstress moved around so that she was behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, Caleb saw her remove a knife from her sleeve and hold it up. The knife was on the small side, but it still looked lethal.
"Now hold sssstill. And try not to sssssscream."
She knelt down and made a deliberate cut across the small of his back. Caleb immediately tensed up, grinding his teeth, but he didn't move or scream.
Then she started cutting.
Caleb couldn't stop himself from screaming.
The Seamstress seemed to know that he would continue screaming, so she slowly moved around so that she was standing in front of him. She reached into her sleeve and removed a small needle, strung with red thread. Then her bony hand snot out and she grabbed Caleb by the face. A moment later, her claws forced his mouth open. She yanked down on his lower jaw, and when he tried to bite her, she stuck the needle in his mouth. That was when he froze, knowing that if he struggled, she might accidentally kill him with the needle.
"I told you not to sssssscream," she hissed as she held his mouth open.
A second later, Caleb felt a pain in his throat that was much more intense than anything, even getting shot and stabbed. The pain sucked all the air out of his lungs, and he felt blood trickle down his throat, but he was too scared to cough it back up.
Finally, the Seamstress let go of him. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out.
She still didn't seem satisfied.
Using the same needle and thread, she quickly sewed his lips together. The thread seemed to twist his mouth into a bloody and tortured smile.
Caleb closed his eyes tight, tears streaming down his face, screaming internally yet unable to move or make a sound.
The Seamstress moved back around to his back, and the knife made a reappearance.
She drew a line with her knife, creating a circular area on Caleb's back that surrounded the majority of his scars. The area reached from the small of his back to just below his shoulder blades.
"I like to take sssskin from the backssss. More sssstory there."
As she said this, she delicately positioned the knife at the base of Caleb's back where she had first cut. Then she slowly began to peel the skin away, slowly and carefully.
Caleb's breathing sped up, and a raw noise came out of his throat. He closed his eyes, shaking with silent sobs.
It didn't phase the Seamstress. She continued cutting, carefully taking away the skin on his back.
A few minutes later, it was done. The Seamstress held up her prize: a single piece of skin about four inches across and a foot long. It would fit perfectly with her cloak, and it would stand out because of the scars that had been preserved.
She looked back down at Caleb. The wound on his back was spilling out blood, the dark red puddle staining the floor. And even though it didn't matter to her, she imagined Rogue would be put off if he returned to see that his victim had bled to death.
She stood up and left the room, carrying her prize with her.
On her way out, she pressed the button that would call for the healers to come get Caleb. Then she disappeared back into the shadows.
A/N: Caleb you little sarcastic shit. Look how much trouble you've gotten yourself into.
…. Caleb would be a good politician.