As much as electrocution sucked, Steve was happy to have the warning. That way he could mentally prepare himself for three carefully placed needles being injected into his body the next day, one in his neck, one as an IV in his wrist, and one stabbed right by his heart. It hurt. A lot. He had to be restrained for all of them, but he never stopped moving, which the doctors hated. It was after the third harsh slap to his cheek that he realized that there was no getting out of this. He stopped struggling, and the guilt he felt for giving up burned in his stomach. But he didn't want to get more hurt than he already was. He needed to be alive to get Robin out of there.
That was two days ago, if mealtimes were anything to go off of. Steve frowned at the thought of the meals. Brown rice and a tuna sandwich. Maybe taste in a different setting, yet here? Same meal, two times a day. He didn't want to see another tuna sandwich again.
He was sitting in a small room, a small contraption on his head. He assumed that it was something that would study his brain waves, or however that worked. The drowsiness and pain he felt from the needles was gone at this point, but he still felt worry about what was going to happen. If this was anything like El's situation, he would probably get powers. He wasn't too excited about it. There was no doubt that powers that he would be given would be used to harm others.
The thought made him sick.
A metal door creaked open, and he jerked to attention from where he sat, his eyes following Brenner as he made his way into the room.
"Thank you for waiting, Nineteen, I appreciate your patience."
Steve had to bite back a response. He knew that it would get him hurt. He may not have been wearing the collar, but there was no escaping the pain.
"Now." Brenner said, sitting across from him. "How do you feel?"
"Fine, Papa."
"Can you be a little more specific?"
Steve didn't want to show weakness in front of this man, so he lied. "Good. Nothing feels different."
"Really? There's nothing…odd?"
Steve swallowed, keeping his eyes on the man. Brenner was right, though. Something was odd about him. Nothing…huge, but big enough to be noticeable. He didn't know if it meant anything, as it could be happening because of his worry…yet he could never ignore the tingling that existed under his skin, throbbing with his own heartbeat.
"No." Steve responded. "Nothing, Papa."
"I can't help you understand your abilities if you're not honest with me." Brenner said in his usual tone, "So, please tell me. I know that something is going on."
Steve couldn't stop himself from letting out a harsh laugh. "So you admit it, then. That you're giving us powers."
"I never said that I wasn't. I know your involvement with Eleven and that group of children." Brenner continued, "I knew that nothing would pass over your head, Nineteen. Nonetheless, I see potential, and I want you to reach it to its fullness. So, yes, I will be helping you gain abilities." He rested his callused hands on the table in front of them, appearing unfazed by Steve's rebellion.
"You didn't just help me gain abilities, you forced them on me." Steve exclaimed, his voice rising. He felt anger surge through his body, in his mind, and he was thankful that he wasn't wearing the shock collar. "You may be able to tattoo me, shave my head, put a shock collar on me like a dog, but I won't listen to you!"
"But you call me Papa, don't you?"
Steve's eyes widened at the realization, all of his fight dying faster than it started. Because it was true, wasn't it? He could speak of defying Brenner's rules and training, yet he still referred to him as Papa, exactly like the man wanted.
"See, Nineteen?" Brenner said carefully, slowly, as if he was addressing a child. "There's no use fighting. You want to trust me, and you know it, yet you still refuse to listen to me. That I don't understand, even Twenty lets me help her."
"Wーwhat?" Steve didn't know what to say to that. Robin was following his instructions, letting him train her? Was that why she was acting so strange the other day?
"Yes, her powers are coming along quite nicely."
"That's…that's because she doesn't know who you are." Steve whispered, tears blossoming into his eyes. Why did this hurt so much? She was being smart, wasn't she? Obeying so that she wouldn't get hurt. But deep down he knew that all he wanted was for her to tell him. Why didn't she tell him? Yet, he told himself that he would defend her, so defend her he would. "She has no clue what you've done."
"Is that really the case, Nineteen? Or are you trying to explain what you can't?" Brenner got to his feet, the chair screeching against the floor as he did so. "Training has been canceled for the day. I'll take you to your room for the evening."
Steve bit back the Yes, Papa that immediately wanted to come out. He stood up obediently, letting Brenner take off the contraption on his head and lead him back to the boring room, where he would proceed to sit on the bed and stare at the wall for hours, trying to ignore the weird feeling in his body.
It wasn't very fun.
As soon as the door closed, he proceeded to do exactly that, and wished that Robin would've told him about what was going on. Had her powers already developed? Could she use them now? What were they?
Why was she listening to Brenner? Was it like why Steve called him Papa, in fear of being hurt? Did she actually trust him?
He curled in on himself, too many questions flooding his head for him to handle. Eventually he gripped the pillow to his face and tried to steady his breathing, but he couldn't, and soon he was sobbing.
Why was he sobbing? He didn't know. He knew that Robin was still Robin, that she wasn't betraying him, but he couldn't stop crying.
And the tingling feeling under his skin grew stronger and stronger.
%%%%%%%%%%%
He didn't know when he fell asleep, but when he awoke he felt a tremor go through his body. He felt like puking at the vibrations under his skin, flooding his veins, in his heart. He was sweating, and he fell to the floor, rolling away from the damp sheets. It didn't hurt when he hit the hard surface, but the air was pushed out of his lungs, causing him to gasp for breath. He didn't get up, and chose to rest his head on the floor, craving the coolness that it gave him.
The tremor increased in strength, and he closed his eyes, willing it to go away.
This wasn't just nerves. Something was wrong. Brenner's plan was working.
Was this his power? Being in eternal pain, tingling, thrumming vibrations under his skin? Was this what was going on?
He clutched his head, groaning, as pain flared up in his temple, a twisting feeling in his gut. He was going to be sick. So, so sick.
He needed help. Was he dying? Was this what killed him?
He half expected a doctor, guard, Brenner, or someone to come in and help him, but he was alone. He didn't know if he should be thankful for that or not.
Steve tried to open his eyes, yet the world was soon blurred around him and moving in nauseating swirls as if it was taunting him, begging him to get sick all over the floor.
He did.
He clutched his stomach as he heaved onto the floor. It didn't last long, but even that didn't feel like a blessing. He was too weak to find one in this situation. The smell of his own vomit filled his nostrils, his hands shook as he tried to hold himself up. The tremors wouldn't go away. It felt like every part of him was changing, morphing him into something he wasn't, but from the inside out. It felt like someone was ripping apart his muscles, weaving them back together with shaky hands. It felt like an earthquake existed in his body, fueled by the vibrations of his heart.
He knew it. He was going to die.
Yet, as suddenly as the pain came, an image came to the forefront of his mind, an image of a clear, flat lake, blue and turquoise in color. He could feel rocks on the bottom of his feet, smell fresh air around him, and see a large landmark made of stone, towering high above him. Trees littered the top of it, the greens sharp against the blue sky, and he found a calming peace that flooded his body. The thrumming became less prominent, the pain basically gone, and he let himself relax.
He didn't know what it was, but he found himself more grateful for the image than he ever thought possible.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Robin sat quietly in the observation room, resting her hands on the metal table. Her leg wouldn't stop moving with nerves, but she knew what was coming. Like all of her other training sessions before, Papa would ask her how she was doing, how she felt, and encourage her to crush a Coca-Cola can. It was a strange cycle, but it was something she needed, apparently. According to Papa. She never really got a say in what happened to her.
The thing that filled her mind the most was Steve. The last time she saw him she had warned him about the procedures, and then they were both electrocuted and separated. She didn't know if he was okay or not. Papa wouldn't kill him, would he?
She straightened as she heard the door opening, Papa walking in calmly.
"Hello, Twenty, how are you doing today?"
She managed to put on a fake smile through her worry. She didn't trust him completely, but she knew that there would be less punishment if she obeyed him. Maybe they wouldn't hurt Steve if she cooperated. And, she knew that she couldn't understand her powers alone, powers that she knew that she had now. Thus, she needed Papa's help, no matter how badly she didn't want it.
The last time Robin was in this room, Papa had told her that she was able to read minds. It didn't shock her, she had been hearing so many strange things ever since the injections. Hearing without seeing one mouth open.
Robin wasn't sure why it didn't scare her. Maybe it just hasn't registered yet.
"I'm doing okay." She replied, and Papa nodded, taking a seat across from her.
"Good. I take it you had a good rest?"
"Yes." A part of her knew that she should put the word Papa after every sentence she said, but she was never corrected. The word still made her feel a bit sick, because he wasn't her father and she wasn't a child, everything felt so wrong.
"Training today is going to be a bit different." Papa explained carefully. "You see, we both know that you can read minds. You still lack control as to who you read and when, but I want to change that. Does that sound like a good idea?"
She swallowed, nodding. "Yeah, I…I think so."
"Good. I want you to read my mind."
She froze, her eyes wide. Papa wanted her to read his mind? That was a complete sacrifice of his privacy! Didn't he know what it could mean?
"Papa?" She asked softly. "Are, are you sure? That could go really wrong, I could see things that you don't want me to, like private conversations, secrets一"
He held up his hand to silence her rambling. "Yes. I will direct my thoughts to a specific subject, and I want you to find this subject. I trust you, Twenty."
Robin took a deep breath, nervous. "Okay."
"Good. Now, why don't you give it a try?"
She closed her eyes, exactly how Papa had taught her. Robin could feel voices from all around her echo in her mind, voices begging to be heard, but she was looking for one specifically. She could feel a steady, sure mind, and she immediately knew it was Papa.
Terry Ives.
She could see a young woman in her mind's eye, dirty blond hair, startling blue eyes, her posture one of composure. She was sure of herself. Was this the person Papa wanted her to read from him? Who was she?
One of the best women I knew. She could hear, and she pushed herself to know more. Robin could feel a liquid dribble down her nose and to her lips, and it tasted metallic, like blood.
She opened her eyes, and the voices and images were gone, as if the curtains had been closed. Papa was watching her curiously.
"What did you see? What did you hear?"
"You一you were thinking about a woman. Terry Ives." Robin responded, whipping the blood from under her nose and onto her finger. Papa reached over to her and gave her a tissue, one that she took hesitantly.
"You're correct. She was an extraordinary woman. You remind me of her. You both have this unshakable strength in you. I'm proud of you, Twenty. You've come a long way."
Robin wanted to ask why, if he was proud, that he still had to call her Twenty. Surely there were more human ways to do this? She didn't love the fact that she had powers, she didn't want them, but now that she had them, couldn't she be treated like a human? Or was it the complete opposite?
"Now." Papa said, interrupting her thoughts, and she snapped back to attention. "There is one thing I want you to do before you rest."
She was exhausted, but there was nothing else she could do but agree with him. "Yes, Papa?"
Papa reached over to a small television that sat on the table and turned it on. On the screen she could see a small figure, laying on the ground, wincing at an invisible pain. Its hands were clapped over its ears, the whole body shaking uncontrollably. She gasped quietly as she realized it was Steve, in so much agony that he couldn't stand. What was happening to him?
"His body is struggling to cope with the injections." Papa explained carefully, "And he refuses for me to help him. But I don't want him to be in pain. I want him to get better, like you did."
Robin knew what he meant. She, after the three needles that changed her life, had huge headaches that wouldn't go away. It took extensive training and concentration for all of the voices to go silent, for the pain to go away, and even now she struggled. But Steve…
She knew he was going to fight Papa. He never wanted to bend to authority, no matter how dangerous it was. Even in Mrs. Click's class he would never listen, always choosing detention over handing in a simple assignment. Why did Robin think that it would be different here?
"I want to test to see if you can send something into his mind." Papa continued. "Can you do that?"
Her eyes, which were glued to the screen, shifted over to the older man, concerned. She couldn't help Steve, could she?
"I don't know."
"Why don't we try. Think of a…place, perhaps. A place that makes you feel calm. Content. Then direct it to his mind. Just try for me."
No. She wouldn't try for Papa. She would try for Steve. She had to help him.
She closed her eyes again, thinking of a place that would hopefully take the pain and fear away. Then she had it. Michigan. Her and her family went there a couple of times to visit her cousins, and there was this gorgeous park there. One that made her feel safe. This could help him. She knew it.
She formed the image in her mind, picturing a clear lake with rocks, trees towering high above her, a steady peace that refused to leave.
Then she reached out, touching every mind she could, searching eagerly for Steve's.
There's no time, we have to get this done now! Brenner will have our heads if this doesn't get done!
How are we supposed to stop the nose bleeds?
What am I going to make for supper? Allen can't eat chicken again, he's tired of it.
It hurts, am I going to be sick? Am I dying? I am. I'm going to die.
There. There was Steve's mind, scared and confused. His emotions bled into her mind, showing the true depth of his pain to her, and she knew that she was his only hope right now.
With as much strength as she could she pushed the image into his mind, hoping that this didn't hurt him. She was breathing roughly, struggling to get air into her lungs, but she eventually knew that she had done it. Did it help him?
"Twenty." Papa said calmly. "Look at the screen."
She opened her exhausted eyes to see Steve, visibly more peaceful than he was moments before. She had done it. She helped him.
That was the last thing she realized before her world pitched forward into darkness, thrusting her into unconsciousness.
The next update will be on Tuesday! Thanks to everyone for the reviews, follows, and favorites!