"I assess the power of a will by how much resistance, pain, torture it endures and knows how to turn to its advantage," Friedrich Nietzsche.
To be honest, I'm scared of writing this chapter, but I want to and need to write it nonetheless. Read at your own risk...
Dan eyed his captor's back apprehensively, once again pulling against the plastic tie that bound his wrists behind him. The tie cut into the flesh at the back of his wrists, and Dan was sure that he could feel blood dripping down his hands. He walked angrily between the two teens, his shoulders taut and his jaw clenched. He kept his head down, and his bangs dangled in front of his face. He hadn't had a chance to go to a barber when he got back from Nethia, and now his hair was growing longer than he wanted. It wasn't hard to hide his eyes.
The Gundalian teen in front of him glanced behind him every so often, checking to make sure that Dan was still there. His footsteps were nearly silent, and his Castle Knight uniform made no sounds to give away his presence. Anubias narrowed his eyes at the supposedly number one battler. He had expected him to be a little more aggressive, a little more fearless. Maybe even a little more reckless than he already was. Anubias turned forward again, running his clawed fingers over his cheek lightly. It throbbed dully, for Dan had managed to land a plastic hairbrush on that very spot in an effort to resist being taken from the room. Anubias had to admit the kid had guts, but he couldn't help but expect more from the teen.
The Nethian woman, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a bit impressed at Dan's skill. He had thrown a plastic hair brush from across the hallway and somehow managed to land the spiky part right on Anubias' right cheek. Catching him had taken almost ten minutes, even with his allies confined to their rooms. It took a long time just to back him into a corner and jump on him. And getting the plastic tie around his wrists! That was something that she didn't want to revisit.
Dan was silent, his eyes glued to the metal floor beneath his feet. It passed by like a treadmill to him, just one endless stretch of gray that kept rolling beneath him. He glared down at it, pulling against the plastic ties again. Once again, they just pinched his flesh, and he flexed his fingers. They were numb. Dan's lip curled and he clenched his fists, willing sensation to return to them. His efforts were futile.
After what seemed like an eternity, the woman behind Dan grabbed his arm. He stiffened, but stopped, and Anubias, who had introduced himself before attacking him, as if comradeship would be possible among enemies, stopped in front of a door. He turned, frowning at Dan, who lifted his defiant gaze to glare into Anubias's eyes. There was a resistance on the plastic tie and Dan fought the urge to grimace, then it fell away. Dan ripped his arms forward, lifting a hand to strike Anubias, but Anubias caught him at the wrist. Dan's eyes widened in surprise and pain while Anubias's remained impassive, hard to read. They glared at each other for a minute, but then Dan growled and let his arm relax.
Anubias stepped behind Dan, twisting his arm behind his back, and Dan hissed. His clawed hand closed around Dan's other wrist and held on tightly, holding his arms behind his back. Dan's stomach clenched. He hated being bound. He felt helpless, and he realized that was how the Gundalians wanted him to feel.
The door in front of Dan opened when the Nethian woman ran a hand down a panel on the side of it. The metal doors slid open rather than opening up or out, something Dan had grown used to. Anubias pushed against Dan's arms, and Dan took that as an order to step forward.
Anubias forced him into the room, then released his arms. Dan turned angrily, shooting a death glare at the Gundalian, and then his eyes flicked to the pale skinned Nethian. She had followed him into the room, and the door closed behind her. Dan glared at her, then turned back to Anubias, rubbing his bleeding wrists. His blood smeared over his palms and fingers and left him feeling sticky and irritated.
Anubias had moved forward and Dan took a step back, lifting his fists. Anubias glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as he passed, and Dan lowered his arms slightly. He turned nervously, wanting to keep Anubias within eyeshot. Anubias stooped over the chair in the middle of the room. Dan bit his lip when he saw it, taking in the restraints on the legs and arms of it. His eyes widened and he swallowed hard, his tongue darting out to moisten his dry lips.
Anubias straightened up then, and turned to face Dan. Dan glared at him. Anubias tossed something in the air, and Dan automatically lifted his arms to snatch them from their free fall. Dan's fingers easily closed around the fabric, yanking them down for him to examine. His eyes narrowed at the red tank top that looked like it might be his size, and then at the loose white yoga pants. He glared at them, then lifted his heated gaze to meet Anubias's.
Anubias was looking at him expectantly, leaning back against the wall of the room with his arms crossed. Dan shot a glare at the woman, who was also watching him, and then glared back at Anubias.
"What?" he muttered, crossing his own arms.
"Get changed," Anubias said shortly. Dan stared at him, his glare softening for a brief second to show his confusion, but then it hardened once more.
"No." Anubias didn't seem surprised at this answer. He didn't move, but the woman did.
"You might want to consider it, for if the master discovers your disobedience, he will surely deliver a punishment most befitting for your crime," she declared, resting a hand on her chest and lifting one in the air. Dan stared at her, lifting an eyebrow.
"No."
"Listen kid," Anubias said calmly. Dan shot him a glance. "If you don't get dressed by yourself like a big boy, we'll just help you do it ourselves. It's your choice." Dan glared.
"Yeah, as if. If you think I'm gonna work with you, you've got another thing coming," Dan muttered. He didn't make any move suggesting that he'd cooperate. There was no way he'd take off his Castle Knight uniform, which was the last line of defense he had between their claws and his skin. If they wanted him even more vulnerable than he already was, standing there at their mercy, they'd have to fight him to do it.
Anubias watched him with his calculating gaze, as if deciding if he should really take the bait Dan laid out for him. His reptilian eyes and Dan's blood red orbs locked in an unannounced staring contest, which Dan seemed determined to win. Neither had the opportunity, however, when the woman stepped between them.
"Fine then. If you won't do it yourself, maybe you need a bit of..." she held up her hand, which started to glow green, "persuasion..." Dan glared at her now, undeterred by the threat.
"Sellon, he doesn't want him to be too injured before..." Anubias trailed off, his eyes finding Dan's face. Dan smirked, but Sellon didn't care about Anubias's warning.
The next thing Dan knew, he was lying with his back against the wall, his head ringing, and his chest hurting like he had been hit by a sledgehammer. He groaned, struggling to lift his head. Stars clouded his vision, and when they cleared, hands had gotten to work on the uniform. Dan shook his head, trying to resist, but all his efforts earned him was a slap across the face. Dan grimaced, then mumbled his submission.
"Alright... Alright! I'll do it, okay?" He'd rather take off the uniform himself than endure the humiliation of someone else doing it for him. The hands left him and he opened his eyes, perceiving the gray hand of Anubias just inches from his face. Dan glared at him even through his misery and pushed against the wall, using it as a support. He ignored Anubias's outstretched hand and pulled himself up with difficulty, his head throbbing.
Dan, against his better judgement, slowly peeled off the uniform. Only now, when he stood in the room in just his boxers, did he realize just how much he had relied on the uniform for security. Now that Anubias had taken it from him, Dan noticed the sickening feeling of vulnerability that washed over him. He nibbled nervously on the inside of his lower lip as he took the red cotton tank from Anubias's outstretched hand and pulled it over his head. He easily pulled on the white sweats, which he discovered were just his size, and shot a murderous glare at Sellon. She held his Castle Knight uniform over one arm and was watching him with a smirk.
Dan turned to Anubias, challenging him with his heated gaze. "What?" he snarled. "What do you need now?" The door opened, but neither Dan nor Anubias turned their heads.
"That's enough, Anubias, Sellon," a cold, feminine voice said. Dan stiffened, his eyes flicking back to the door. Standing there in the doorway were none other than Kazarina and Stoica, who was pushing a metal cart. Anubias took a few steps away from Dan, hanging close to the door. Sellon ducked into a corner, out of the way, as she watched Kazarina walk in. Stoica followed, turning his head toward Dan. He smirked. Dan's lip curled, remembering the two as the ones who had attacked Runo and Fabia.
"Sit down Dan," Kazarina ordered, crossing her arms and standing beside the chair. Dan glared at her.
"No way! Not after you went after my girlfriend," he snarled, but then froze. She's not your girlfriend anymore, Dan! Why do you keep thinking she is?
Kazarina and Stoica sneered at him. "Oh so she is your girlfriend after all!" Stoica cackled. "Looks like we do have something to get out of the kid," he added through his toothy grin. Dan licked his lips, but kept up the defiant glare.
"I suppose that information would be valuable, now wouldn't it?" Kazarina agreed. Dan's fists clenched and his shoulders tightened. His heart was racing with his fear for Runo's safety.
"You can do whatever you want to me," he growled, "but you better stay away from Runo!"
"So Runo is her name?" Stoica quipped. Dan glanced at him. "Your friends were all so clever, trying to keep her name from us! And there you go, without even a little bit of torture(Dan's eyes widened at the use of that word), and give us all the information we need! This is going to be easier than we thought!" Dan hissed, glancing at the door. He wondered briefly if it would be possible to make a run for it, but just as he considered his options, Airzel appeared in the doorway, flanked by Gill and followed by Barodius himself. Dan's tongue darted out to caress his lips again, but then realized that they were already moist. He rubbed the back of his bleeding wrist on his lips, leaving a trail of salty, coppery blood there, then his eyes darted to the tray that Stoica now pushed forward.
His eyes widened when he noticed the tub of some liquid that rested there, along with the three syringes on a tray that accompanied it. There were four white cloths on the metal surface, next to which there was a rack with several vials of clear liquid, vials that would easily fit into a syringe like the ones on the tray. A large pen-like device sat on the metal cart as well, it's cord wrapped around the white plastic of it. The tip was rounded but had a small cone-like point, and there was something about it that made Dan nervous. A bottle of gel laid on the surface, the label hidden underneath it, and what looked like an unconnected electrode pad was lying next to it.
Dan stared, shocked, at the needles, and, with a great effort, tore his gaze from the cart. His eyes locked on Kazarina's sadistic grin, which was obviously tied to his reaction to the instruments. Stoica had controlled his insane appearance and now stood with his hands on his elbows, smirking at Dan. Gill and Airzel sneered at him as well, while Barodius seemed to be the one enjoying this the most. Anubias and Sellon were watching silently, Sellon smirking and Anubias frowning, as if debating whether or not he himself be able to take whatever Kazarina had in store for the human.
The reason for his change of clothes sudden made perfect sense.
"What do you want?" Dan finally asked, forcing himself to ignore the threatening instruments on the cart. Thankfully, his voice didn't crack or shake, but his eyes betrayed his emotions. They held an apprehensiveness for the devices a few meters from him, and before he knew it, his eyes had been drawn back to them. Their sharp points, their long, probing shafts. The liquid inside. Everything about the needles that were at the hands of his enemies made him nervous. Shots at the doctor seemed like child's play now, where he knew the contents of the vial wouldn't hurt him. Here, he couldn't be sure. For all he knew, the vials could contain cyanide, which he had learned from Marucho was a deadly poison. Dan swallowed hard, somehow managing to tear his gaze from the cart.
"You look a little shaky there," Gill commented. Dan shivered. "Maybe you'd better sit down." It was a request, but sounded more like an order. Dan shot a nervous glare at him, a single bead of sweat coursing its way down his jawline.
"Tch... yeah right," he responded. "Do you really think I'll let you just strap me down without a fight?"
"That's fine. None of us really expected you to cooperate anyway," Kazarina smirked. Suddenly, Dan's vision went fuzzy, and he gasped, stumbling. His vision cleared a second later, and he glanced at Kazarina. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, and he curled his lip at her.
"Fine then," Barodius growled, but the smirk on his face suggested that he had been hoping for this response. "I'll just have to teach you a lesson, then..." He lifted his hand, and suddenly, purple electricity was running up and down his fingers. Dan gasped, taking a step back, only to find that his back was already pressed against the metal wall. His heart rate spiked, and then, the bolts of lightning shot forth from Barodius's fingers.
Dan screamed when they collided with his chest, sinking to the ground and writhing in the intense pain the lightning brought. The flimsy fabric of the red nightshirt had offered little protection against the shocks that now caused him to convulse on the ground, and he was dimly aware of the fabric sizzling, melting onto his chest. The pain didn't stop there. The intense agony that jumped around his center also pulsed throughout his body, branching down the nerves in his arms like they were tree branches. With each throb the pain intensified in one spot but appeared in another, traveling down his spine and branching out like fire consuming his very muscles. Dan screamed again, feeling that unceasing agony stab his finger tips like needles, and then the area underneath his finger and toenails. The pain was indescribable. Tears coursed their way down his cheeks, and he let out another tortured scream.
"Stop!" he begged through his suffering. He was somehow able to understand that this was Kazarina's doing, but that didn't make the pain dull. If anything, it intensified, and he writhed and kicked and lashed out with his arms in small, mechanical movements that conveyed his turmoil. More screams escaped from his mouth. The tears falling down his cheeks stung their trail like salt thrown in invisible wounds that had been gouged in his cheeks. He sobbed in agony, begging between screams for mercy.
And just like that, the pain was gone. Dan whimpered, unwilling to move any part of his body for fear of causing the fire of torture to light again. The tears fell silently, coursing down his cheeks like tiny rivers, unrelenting. His skin tickled where they touched him, but he kept expecting the hellish torture to begin again. He kept his eyes shut tightly, and involuntarily, his fists clenched until his knuckles were white. This action caused his bleeding wrists to raise from the cool, metallic surface of the chair, and the metal restraints bit into his flesh. Wait a minute...
Dan gasped, looking around wildly as he was suddenly released from is paralysis. He couldn't move his head very far, for a metal restraint kept his head up and he choked when he tried to lean forward. He thrashed wildly, surprised to find that his shirt was fine, and he could feel no pain whatsoever. His terrified breathing slowed, and he closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath. His first instinct was to wipe his eyes, but when he went to lift his arm, he found both of them pinned to the arms of the chair. He struggled, trying to lift them up, but his efforts were met with an amused chuckle.
"Don't even bother, Dan," Kazarina told him, crossing her arms. Dan hissed, eying her warily as his tears dried on his skin. She stood only a meter away, watching Dan like one might observe a specimen in a laboratory, only with a brutish amusement that made Dan shiver. "Those restraints have the potential to hold even your friend Jake. I highly doubt that you'll be able to break out of them." Metal cuffs encased his wrists, pinning them to the metal arms of the chair, and similar cuffs had been snapped around his ankles. A metal ring had been fastened around his neck, which, in turn, was secured to the chair. They clearly didn't want him to move.
Dan growled angrily, giddy from the torment he just endured, but stopped struggling. He lifted his eyes from the bonds. Behind Kazarina stood Sellon, who was watching him with a sadistic grin, and Stoica, who shared their cruel mirth. Gill and Airzel stood against one wall, Anubias slouched in the corner, and two hands landed on Dan's shoulders. He jerked in surprise, turning his head as much as he could to look up at his assailants face.
"Did you like that little taste of the emperor's power?" Kazarina questioned as she turned her back on Dan, dipping something on the cart into the tub of liquid there. Dan drew a shaky breath.
"What did you do?" he breathed. Dan was sure that Kazarina found his weakened tone comical, but at the moment, didn't care. He heard Stoica snicker and peered at him warily, which of course, made him just burst out laughing.
"I entered your mind and played with your nerves," Kazarina said after a moment. The glee was obvious in her voice. "I basically induced a hallucination that felt real, in which you had minimal control." Dan stared at her, startled, and stiffened. The hands on his shoulders squeezed him and he grimaced.
"I assure you, boy," Barodius, who was behind Dan, growled with a smirk, "that was nothing compared to what awaits you if you continue to resist." He dug his claws into Dan's shoulders, making the boy hiss in pain. Barodius then lifted his hands from Dan's shoulders and came around the chair, standing to the side of Kazarina.
"Funny. Then how come I'm not scared?" Dan challenged. Barodius smirked, making Dan's stomach clench. Dan glowered at him, but something caught his eye at Barodius's neck. Dan's eyebrows creased in puzzlement at the yellow outcropping there, the small sliver of mustard yellow that stood out against Barodius's gray skin. He wore the same outfit as he had when he invaded Nethia, and he didn't strike Dan as the type to wear scarves or jewelry, so the identity of the colored item puzzled him.
After a moment of examination, Dan decided it wasn't worth it. Why did he care about his enemy's fashion decisions anyway? Dan's eyes returned to the cart that Kazarina still stood at, and he found his heart thumping wildly in his chest. She had plugged the pen-like device into the wall, and now the rounded metal tip glinted. Kazarina turned to Dan then, and Dan felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
"I find that difficult to believe," she smirked, coming around to Dan's left side. She stroked the arm of the chair and after a second, the metal restraint there released him. Dan made to snatch his arm close to his chest, but Kazarina's hand closed around his wrist with a vice like grip. Dan winced. The pressure on the wound stung as he struggled to yank his hand back, but with surprising strength, she managed to pull his arm out to the side, holding it straight out. She shot Sellon a look, and she stepped forward, coming around to Kazarina's side. "After all, who would believe you after the performance you just provided? You seem to be a lot weaker than you imply."
Dan glowered at her with a look of pure loathing, ignoring Sellon for just a moment. He didn't noticed the item she had concealed in her arms, but after a moment of expressing his hatred for Kazarina, he glanced to the side. There stood Sellon, who looked positively gleeful. She handed the device in her hand to Kazarina, who motioned to Gill. He seemed none to happy to help her, but he moved forward despite his obvious misgivings.
His gray, cold hand closed around Dan's wrist in place of Kazarina's, and he forced it down on the cart that Stoica had moved there. Dan's arm now was pressed on the cloth on the cart. He grimaced, his chest leaning too far to the left for his liking. His windpipe was pressed just against the metal collar, making it difficult to take a breath. He refused to tear his gaze away from the scene unfolding before him, even when Anubias tried to distract him by calling his name.
Kazarina smeared some gel on his upper arm, then lifted electrode pad, easily sticking it to Dan's upper arm. He stiffened as Kazarina reached for the pen-like device. As her fingers closed around it, his heartbeat jumped up. Gill, who was watching his face with a probing expression, smirked. Dan glanced at him, then at his hand, which was grasping his wrist so tightly Dan was sure it would bruise. With this examination, he realized that Gill's middle and index fingers were pressed into his radical artery. Gill could feel Dan's heartbeat hammer.
Dan bit his lip, not caring, and turned his gaze back to Kazarina once again. She held the pen-like device in her fingers, and was fiddling with it like one might fiddle with a pencil at school. She was observing Dan's reaction to the events with a somewhat animalistic glint in her eyes. Dan had a suspicion that she wanted to drag out the emotional turmoil as long as she could before finally getting the event over and done with, simply to toy with Dan's resolve. She wanted to see how long he would last.
"Dan," Anubias called again, and because Dan was beginning to get annoyed with the teen's constant request, he turned to look at him. Anubias was watching him silently, a calculating expression etched upon his face. When Dan turned to look at him he expected some sort of taunt or jibe like he might get from Stoica or, as he was becoming familiar with her, Sellon, but he was simply met with silence.
"What?" Dan spat, and Anubias's eyes flicked to Dan's forearm. When he glanced back at Dan barely a second later, a look of pity was conveyed to the nervous teen strapped to the chair.
That was the only warning Dan got before a pain unlike anything he'd ever experienced set in, and his screams echoed throughout the building.
Dan was pushed into the hallway of his prison almost an hour later with barely enough strength to stand up. He let out a pathetic cry of pain when he hit the ground, his bruised shoulder colliding with the hard, unforgiving metal. He grimaced, curling instinctively into a ball to protect himself from whatever further maltreatment lay in wait for him. His arm where three, dark brown rings of third degree burns were now permanently part of him was completely numb, but his wrist throbbed where a dark blue and purple bruise was forming. His jaw ached where Stoica had landed a punch when Dan tried to resist being dragged through the hallways.
Airzel and Stoica, who were standing just outside the doors to the hallway, watched him lie there through the electricity infused wire in the door, but after a moment, turned to leave. Dan squinted up through the door, making sure that they were leaving. Once their footsteps faded, he let out a groan and struggled to sit up. He was spared the effort when a kind, bare hand landed on his unbranded arm, and an arm wrapped around his stomach.
"Oh my God!" Lync gasped at the sight of Dan's plight. His eyes had found the burns on his arm, as well as the bruising wrist. His bright blue orbs darted back to Dan's face, widening once more as he took in the swollen lump on Dan's jawline. Dan tried to flash him a grin to show that he hadn't been defeated, but it just turned into a pained grimace as he found that he couldn't move his jaw in that way.
" 'S nothin'," Dan mumbled softly, but Lync had already called out for help.
"Mylene! Volt! Guys get over here!" he cried in a panicked tone. "Hurry!"
Heads popped out of doorways, and once they realized what they were looking at, rushed over to the two. Dan once again struggled to sit up, but his body ached from Kazarina's painful mind tricks, and he was only able to lift his back from Lync's arms by a few centimeters before finding the last reserves of his strength depleted. He fell back with a grunt, his face already paling from the effort.
"What happened?" Hydron gasped, stopping short about a meter away from Dan. Dan looked up at him through his pained expression, noticing how horrified the prince seemed to be. Volt kneeled down beside Dan and took in his sweat covered clothing, then regarded him seriously. Mylene stared at him, stunned, while Shadow's mouth had dropped open. Even Sid seemed shocked by this turn of events.
"Kazarina..." Dan spat the name like it left a bitter taste in his mouth, although he couldn't open his mouth enough to express his anger fully. He grimaced right after, shooting pains branching up from his jaw like sparks. Sid shook his head, looking angry but not surprised. Dan leaned against Lync's chest, exhausted, and closed his eyes, but the explosions of purple and black that assaulted him just after his eyelids closed snapped them open again. He watched with little interest as Mylene took his left hand, lifting his arm. Her wide eyes were trained on the lines there that looked like a tiny ice cream scooper had scooped out bits of his skin.
"What did they do to you?" she breathed, repulsed yet amazed. Dan didn't answer, and she tentatively ran her fingers over the burns. Dan didn't flinch, nor even acknowledge her touch. When she lifted her eyes, she noticed that he had averted his gaze and was glaring into the corner. She ran her fingers over his bruised and bloodied wrist and he winced.
He glanced back at her with a guarded look in his eyes, and the two stared at each other for a moment. Once cruel eyes had become curious and concerned. Blood red orbs that had once held a deep hatred and resentment for the one before him now concealed horrors that would haunt him for years to come. But the guard on his face masked that, and Mylene could only see a shadow of his real emotions. He didn't answer, and after a few moments of silence, Mylene looked up at Shadow.
"Lync, I need you to get some cold water and ice cubes, now," she ordered. "Shadow, can you carry him into his room? Put him on the bed. Hydron, do me a favor and get the fist aid kit. Sid, Volt, you two come with us." Gently, Shadow slid an arm under Dan's knees, and then under his back. Dan hissed when his hand brushed the bruise there, and Shadow murmured a soft apology. He braced Dan's lower back instead of his shoulder blades and lifted him up bridal style. Hydron and Lync had both darted away, knowing better than to complain at Mylene's brash way of barking orders. Sid and Volt both followed behind Mylene as Shadow carried Dan into his room. Dan kept his eyes open but unfocused, trying to remain oblivious to the pain that tormented him whenever Shadow moved. It wasn't working very well.
When Shadow laid Dan down on the bed, Dan let out a strangled grunt. Shadow winced out of sympathy, an expression that Dan never thought he'd see on Shadow's face. He slowly removed his arms from underneath Dan's body, and even though Dan grimaced as this action was being preformed, he attempted to give Shadow a thankful smile for his efforts. The smile turned into a wince before he could finish giving his thanks, but Shadow smiled back to reassure the younger teen.
Dan sighed, looking up at the ceiling, as Lync and Hydron returned. Hydron had the first aid kit tucked under his arm while water from the tub of cold water splashed onto him while he and Lync tried to hold it steady between them. They somehow managed to get it over to Dan, and rested it on the strip of flat metal that lined the wall and the bed. Dan hesitantly lifted his arm over the tub of water, then lowered his arm. Dan nibbled the inside of his lip when his fingers plunged into the freezing water, but then his fingers were numb. Lync lifted Dan's back again, trying to help him sit up while Volt grabbed an extra pillow from one of their rooms. When he returned, they propped Dan up on the cushions, and Dan voiced his thanks.
"Thanks guys..." he mumbled around the swelling in his jaw. Mylene took the first aid kit from Hydron and kneeled by the bed, taking Dan's right hand in her own. She opened the kit with her free hand and proceeded to tend to his wound.
"So, what happened?" Shadow asked. "You left with those creepy dudes with your hands behind your back and then you come back all beaten up! What's up with that?"
"They tortured me," Dan responded softly. No one seemed surprised at this response.
"Do you know why?" Hydron questioned. Dan glanced at him, his hand closing around a floating ice cube.
"Yup," he murmured. "They found out(he grimaced from opening his jaw too much) that we watched the battle." That caused eyes to pop and jaws to lower.
"Are you serious?" Volt said cooly, despite the startled expression on his face. Dan nodded weakly.
"Yeah... Kazarina first started burning me to teach me what would happen if I didn't cooperate," Dan mumbled. "And then she and Barodius just kept asking me to admit that I watched the battle. I told them I hadn't, but they knew I was lying because I shouted at them the second they walked in the room."
"Haven't you learned by now to keep your mouth shut around here?" Sid muttered.
"Shut up Sid, you're not helping," Hydron muttered. Sid shot him a venomous glare, but fell silent despite his irritation.
"And they burned the three circles as punishment when it was obvious I wouldn't answer," Dan said bitterly. "And she wouldn't stop getting into my head..."
"I'm amazed you're still normal," Sid grumbled. Dan glanced at him, not willing to try moving his head, while the others turned to look at him. "Most people don't survive Kazarina's torture... Or even return in a state thats slightly close to the way they normally are." Dan stared at him. Sid watched him, his face impassive. "I bet she went easy on you."
"That was easy?" naturally, was Dan's first question. He received no response and sighed, allowing the more troubling aspect of the experience to cloud his mind. "After they branded me, Kazarina put down the pen thing... I think she called it an electrocautery... and told Barodius that she'd disable the computers here. She said that she has to figure out how to use the software, so you guys have a few hours to stop her."
"Lync, I need you to go and lock the computers from outside access," Mylene ordered as she tied off Dan's boy nodded and darted out of the room, his cape flapping in the breeze he created from running.
"Why did they bother torturing you if they already knew that you had watched it?" Myriad Hades, Shadow's Bakugan, questioned Dan. Dan shook his head, looking down into the water at his branded skin.
"Probably just to teach me what would happen if I caused them trouble," he murmured, lifting his free hand and placing it on his jaw. He winced, and judging from the look on Hydron's face, his cheek was pretty badly bruised. Dan sighed, closing his eyes.
"I'll be fine, don't worry," he said after a moment of silence. "You guys should go make sure the computers are protected. Give Lync a hand... I just need a bit of sleep, that's all." Mylene eyed him doubtfully.
"Pfft. You just want to be alone," she muttered. "Fine. If you need help with a shower, ask Shadow." She turned, a cape similar to the one she had worn when she was Dan's enemy shifting with her movement. She hesitated before exiting, sighed, and turned to look at him again. "You said she used an electrocautery?" Dan nodded slightly, earning a groan from her. "Every day I'm going to make you soak your arm in alcohol. That's an electric burn, and a third degree burn. It can get infected. So, I'm going to make you put your arm in a vat of alcohol every morning and night. Don't put any bandages on it." And with that, she stalked off.
Shadow shook his head, then gently placed his hand on Dan's shoulder. Dan looked up at him tiredly, and Shadow tried to give him a reassuring grin. He failed.
"She's just mad that someone has authority over her," he smirked instead. The action came to him naturally whenever he was around Dan, mostly because he was his former rival. "Why do you think she ordered Hydron to blow up the palace?" This statement was followed by a fit of evil cackles. Dan shook his head, then glanced at Hydron.
"She couldn't have been too happy with you then," he grinned slightly before wincing and closing his eyes. Hydron rolled his eyes.
"She tried to kill me when Sid showed up and said I helped him find them," he shook his head. "And that is why Shadow refuses to let her near the weapons store. Well, Volt and Sid help." Volt crossed his arms and walked out of the room, ignoring the explanations, while Sid sat down on the desk chair.
"She's a piece of work," he admitted. "But don't tell her I said that." Dan couldn't suppress a grin at that, no matter how much it hurt. Once Shadow had seen him smile, he grinned, too, and then reached over Dan's body. He gently lifted Dan's arm from the bucket and laid it on the bed, then lifted the water away from the bed. He laid it on the ground in front of the desk, then dried off his arm with a towel. The four teens spent the next few minutes in silence while Shadow dressed the cut on Dan's wrist, trying to avoid touching the three rings on his upper forearm. Those few minutes were more than enough to send everyone back into the despairing mood that had ruled the room a few moments before. Once Shadow had finished, he packed up the first aid kit, got up and walked toward the door. He turned, glancing back at Dan, and ran a hand through his hair. Sid and Hydron walked over to him, both glancing back at their injured ally. Dan had rolled over on the bed, cradling his branded arm. His back was to the three boys. Shadow sighed, lowering his hand, and proceeded to walk through the door. Sid and Hydron followed reluctantly, but none of them turned back.
Dan remained on his side for a moment, waiting until he heard the doors slide shut. Dan was grateful for the doors now. They shielded his weakness from his allies, who had once preyed on his weaknesses, and also protected him from the horrors that lay in store for him elsewhere in the building. Dan didn't want to think about that.
He rolled over onto his back again, and struggled to sit up. He managed to do it, but by the time he managed it, he found his stomach and back aching. He propped himself up on his hands and closed his eyes, grimacing as he lifted his hand to run it through his hair. The grease came away on his fingers and he made a face before flopping back on his back. He winced when his bruise brushed the pillow, but then sighed, going over what really happened in the room.
Kazarina had burned him each time he talked back, since they realized he wouldn't admit he watched the battle after the first two burns. They kept on making snide remarks to get him to speak, and they played it perfectly. Kazarina would make some jibe about Runo, and Dan would fire back to shut up, and of course, he'd get another five second session with the electrocautery. It was pure agony whenever it touched him, and they would try to go as long as they could to make him suffer. The longest zap was thirteen seconds spent in hell, and to Dan, it seemed unending. The agony was concentrated in one location, which was what made it so unbearable. But whenever the device was lifted, the pain was gone, and didn't return. His nerves had been fried.
Dan knew there would be heavy scarring on those three rings of what looked like scooped out flesh. From what Mylene said, he assumed they would get infected easily. And Kazarina had promised him that in two days, the burns would start to hurt badly, and then get worse and worse.
Dan wasn't afraid of the pain. Pain never did much to him anyway. He knew that the pain would fade in time, and it was his job to protect everyone. If he gave in, the planets he had fought so hard to protect would be laid to waste by the one man that seemed capable of the horrors each previous antagonist had promised. As of now, those promises were unfulfilled. Even Barodius's goal was still unaccomplished. But Dan knew that if he were to give in, unspeakable tragedies would shake all of the planets across the dimensions. Quite literally, the weight of the worlds rested on Dan's shoulders. The very future of those he loved rested within his hands, and he wasn't about to crush it like an insect.
Dan looked at the burns with disgust and contempt, but nibbled on his lip nervously. If Kazarina's words rang true, then he would be spending the next week in that same hell he had just escaped. Even though pain normally didn't effect him, despite the fact that he knew it would fade in time, he had one thought that betrayed all of his ideals.
If things keep going this way, is it even possible to stay strong?
And that's my horror story of the week. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I just started school this week, and we got hit with Hurricane Irene, and then Hurricane Lee. So we were driving around yesterday morning trying to find a safe route to school and saw several cars stranded in water, cars that died, and even some people that just gave up and decided to walk. There is a stream in my front yard, and it was almost overflowing. It only got that bad once, and that was two years ago! We've gotten so much rain that there is no where for the water to go, and there were some wooden guard blocks on the side of the road that got swept into the middle of it! Let me just say that school wasn't an option so we just turned back after two hours of trying to navigate through the water and only making it about two miles toward our destination. So I napped all morning and then finished the chapter. Again, sorry! And thanks to all of you reviewers, I love you guys!
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