Got shackles on, my words are tied
Fear can make you compromise
Lights turned up, it's hard to hide
Sometimes I want to disappear
Houdini~ Foster the People
Flynn Ryder POV
She was gone.
She was gone.
She was gone
I kept repeating the phrase, but I had not come to terms with the reality. Rapunzel was gone and I had failed. I was supposed to be her protector, her salvation, and her redemption. I had broken my promise to help her achieve her dreams and now tomorrow I was going to walk in and be assigned somewhere else; all because I could not protect a beautiful young lady who most certainly does not need to be held by government officials. I was in the barracks because they were my home, but something about the base felt off. Multiple times I had seen many soldiers frantically running up and down the halls and many army officials being chewed out by their immediate superior. I wondered if Rapunzel's dad had anything to do with it; there had been many rumors that he had been promoted and was taking his new sense of power a little too far.
Many of the analysts had been sent to combat training without knowing how or why. My friend Frank said that half his department were sent, which was odd the only other time this had happened was in a time of war. I had considered the fact that this might be about Rapunzel, but why would the military go to war on itself? None of it made sense…this thought had kept me up along with my depressing thoughts of failure. Tomorrow I was determined to figure out where she went even if it meant getting court marshaled. I quickly typed out a text to Frank telling him to meet me around six am outside the lab and to bring all the info he could find on the Rapunzel case, which he had been assigned too. Not one to ask questions Frank complied and confirmed the meeting time.
The next day Frank and I met in a coffee shop near the lab. Almost as if we were in a spy movie he slid the file over to me. "Look," he began, "I am sticking my neck out for you; whatever you want with that file in none of my business, but do not drag me into this Flynn or they will send me away with the others." I nodded "Have you heard from the others?" He sighed "No I haven't its strange even if they were combat training they would be able to call. Many of their families have sent in inquiries, but I don't have any answers.
I have a feeling that this is all connected the Rapunzel case, the missing analysts, Blake's promotion, and having Gothel back in the military." My eyebrows creased together this was a puzzle. Frank kept going "In regards to that file read it all the way through it is a detailed account of her past present and future." Future? "Um, Frank? Why would this file state her…" He sighed, "Can't tell you that Flynn, just read the file okay? Then hopefully you can come up with a plan." He grabbed his coffee and trench coat pulling it around himself. "See you around Flynn… Hopefully next time I see you, you won't be dead."
Whatever was in this file was life threatening, I gathered this judging by Frank's tone and overall fear, plus the fact that he hoped I would not be dead next time he saw me. I gathered my coffee and coat; I had to read this, but it would have to wait until after today. The morning sun was slowly rising over the city and the temperature had risen slightly. I hurried back to the barracks, it was still before a regular work day and I did not want to be caught with this file. Finally I entered my regular room and found the safe Pascal had bought me years before. I placed the file inside and for good measure changed the code on the safe.
I was once again in Pascal's office worried out of my mind and hoping that my next assignment was also in New York. However, I was sorely mistaken and really distraught. Pascal marched in and let out a breath, clearly he was stressed. His usually perfect uniform was askew and he looked as if he could use a goodnight sleep. He took a sip of his coffee and said, "I did all I could Ryder, but it was not enough. They're sending you to Moscow for espionage, you leave tomorrow." I sighed annoyance and anger nipped at me "But Pascal-" The general stopped me short "You are also no longer under my charge, I just gave you your last assignment. You will be reporting to Maximus instead." What? It was not that I did not like Maximus he and I had become friends, but he trained lower level soldiers. "Am I being demoted?" I questioned barely above a whisper.
Pascal was at a loss for words and stared at his desk. This gesture was confirmation. I had been demoted and was no longer a lieutenant. "Is there a reason I am being stripped of my title? That I am now working as a grunt and will have to remake myself!?" By the last sentence I was shouting, "Well! Is there or are you gonna stare at your desk!" He looked pained and winced, "Yes there is, in reasons for demotion it states, "Flynn Ryder, while an excellent lieutenant and has great potential shows a lack of better judgement in certain life threatening situations. He has been demoted to re learn the correct judgement in said situations and will have a chance to rise back up through the ranks after a year." I'm sorry Flynn, but there was nothing I could do you are dismissed leave your security badge to the building on the desk." He looked destroyed and deflated.
I angrily tore off the badge from my chest and set it on the desk with a slam. I did not go and report to Maximus, I went to the barracks and started to look through the file. I would not be going to Moscow, I would find Rapunzel and figure out the mystery the military was trying to keep a secret.
I looked at my watch which read 1:30 am, I had been gone through the file and could not believe what I found. The beginning stated how at a young age Rapunzel had been abducted and her brain was used to keep government secrets. At this point in time she was revealing the Intel she picked up from other countries to help the U.S. with being able to predict what the countries would do in times of war or if they were planning on starting a war. As if, that was not enough to process already they had pages upon pages of human mind control to make the perfect soldier. There were several people taken in for testing, but told they were going to combat training, finally there was a small paragraph stating they found the perfect specimen and harvested the said eggs of that person. The last sentence said that they were searching for the perfect male to use his sperm. With these test tube babies they were planning to make them into perfect soldiers, like the said specimen they were currently testing on.
The only trouble now was how were these last documents connected to Rapunzel? I thought about what Frank said, "In regards to that file read it all the way through it is a detailed account of her past present and future." Future… What could that-, and suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks three things were made clear to me in a matter of seconds.
Rapunzel was being imprisoned
Rapunzel was a government experiment.
Rapunzel was going to become a drone, a person, but not really just a shell of one
I was worried now and knew I had to find her, but there was one lose end remaining. I flipped back to the failed experiments page and found that thirty people had "consented", but there was no proof. The analysts were these experiments, I read through the page deeply, all of the analysts had died, but when I looked up their government file they were said to be in the line of duty. The cherry on top of all of this was that under commanding officer it listed General Gothel. I cursed, she had orchestrated all of this. I needed to find where she was holding Rapunzel before it was too late.
Over the course of the next two hours I formulated a plan that hopefully would work, but I needed help on the inside because my security clearance had been revoked. I called Frank early the next morning asking if he could meet me again for coffee. We never got to have coffee though, he never answered his phone and a few minutes later I knew why. The same two red haired guards came knocking on my door I swept the paper back into the file and ran over and shut them into the safe. I ran over to my door and opened it nonchalantly.
"What brings you…uh" I gave them a once over and gulped, "fine officers to my room tonight." One of them who did not appear to be messing around came close to me and said, "Grab that file you stole and come with us." It took all I could to keep my face neutral, "I don't know what you are talking about." The other grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and pulled me over to the safe. He smirked, "Open it. If you really don't have it will let you be, but if you do you are coming with us." His smile was menacing and cocky. I opened the safe punching in the code and slumped the file with all of the papers sticking out was shown. I stood quickly and jumped on top of the safe I reached to my left and swung myself onto my top bunk desperate to get away.
My escape was short lived I felt the collar of my shirt holding me back. I landed back on the bed I felt one of the guards holding my arm down. By the time I realized what they were doing it was too late. I felt the sting of the needle and my last sight was of my barrack ceiling.
I woke up in a dark room and my eyes slowly adjusted to my surroundings. I was in a makeshift cell and in a heap on the floor; I slowly sat up registering the pain in my abdomen and the stickiness on my left temple. I reached my hand to the side of my face and wiped down my temple. I took my hand back and looked, it had a smear of blood. It must have happened when I was attacked. The whole situation had just gone from bad to worse I ran my hands through my hair. Suddenly the door opened and shut with a clang, I looked up and saw the same woman that had taken Rapunzel away. Gothel was standing in front of the bars of my cell. Through the darkness I could make out her smirk and her crisp army uniform, I let out a snarl. "Oh now we don't need that kind of attitude, do we Flynn?" She tsked at me. I pursed my lips as if I had just swallowed a lemon; we were definitely not going to get along. That condescending attitude would not get her very far with me. I smiled, but there was no warmth behind my eyes, "You gonna tell me why you decided to kidnap me?" She left out a shrill laugh, "And give away my whole plan!? Well I overestimated you Flynn, you see we will be running some tests-" Rage surfaced to my face, "THE SAME TESTS YOU RAN ON RAPUNZEL!" She remained calm, "I guess I was too late to intercept that damn file, hmm well I guess you know what will happen to you then. You see Flynn you are the perfect specimen physically and you have a pretty good mental capacity, one of the best lieutenants the army has ever seen, well up until I planted that false report in your file.
The program I am trying to run only applies to privates. This was my plan the whole time." She sighed and gave a breathy laugh, "I will see you tomorrow for your tests be ready." She started to back away but I lunged forward a grabbed her wrist forcefully. I wanted to hurt her to hurt her the way she was hurting Rapunzel. I pulled her against the bars hitting her head forcefully, twisting her arm around so her back was against the bars she tried to laugh nervously but I slammed a hand over her mouth. "Now shut up and listen to me." She struggled against my hands "You will not get away with this. Your stuck up bitch act isn't fooling anyone. I punched her in the stomach a cry escaped her lips as soon as that happened two guards burst into the room and entered the cell.
They grabbed hold of my arms and dragged me to the back of the cell. Gothel was kneeling on the floor coughing and spluttering; she glanced over at me her glare was a livid fire which she was about to unleash on me. From her position on the floor she growled out, "You bastard! Don't touch me again or I will disregard my plans and slit your throat right in front of your precious Rapunzel's face." The pressure on my arms tightened and I was still struggling before I could get out of their hold I felt a stinging pressure in the side of my neck. I blacked out again feeling the cloudiness of the sedative and the swirling room around me.