The darkness was all Sigyn could see. She had snapped awake suddenly, as if startled by a loud noise. But she couldn't hear anything at all except her own heartbeat and breath. She had tried to open her eyes, but there was nothing to see. The darkness surrounded her, pressing closer and closer, and it laughed at her panic.
She moved her arms, feeling around to help herself up, only to find that she couldn't move them. They were strapped down. Her legs were in a similar predicament and when she tried to free them she almost wrenched her wrists and ankles to the point of breaking. She stopped, panting, as she tried to calm her panic and confusion.
She couldn't manipulate her own emotions, not in the same way as she was able to affect everyone else, and that only made it harder for Sigyn to calm herself. It took some time and deep breaths to slow her heart and balance the chemicals and hormones in her brain. Only then was she able to think clearly.
She wasn't injured, except for the self-inflicted raw marks on her wrists and ankles. Her left side was a bit sore, probably from the fall she took when whatever drug they gave her had taken its toll. She tried to move, tried to determine how restrained she was and found that her shoulders, hips, and thighs were secured as well. She was reclined slightly, her back tilted at an angle instead of straight up and down like a normal chair, and her feet were resting on a part of the chair too. Her head was cradled by a headrest, and it was unexpectedly comfortable. Overall, while not exactly the best way to be spending time in a dark room, Sigyn was comforted by the lack of pain she was in. She had certainly been in worse positions.
Whatever these people wanted with her, they certainly didn't want her going anywhere, but they also needed her in good condition. They were feeding her, providing her with more than the basic necessities, things she had lived without for so long. She was in a dark room, yes, but the chair was comfortable, and despite being restrained, she didn't feel like she was in any immediate danger.
But why go through such measures? What was it they were going to do to her that they felt the need to use six straps to keep her in the chair? She must have put up more of a fight the first time then she realized if they felt this was necessary.
She stared into the darkness, waiting for something to happen. She used her mind to feel around for someone, anyone, within the range of her powers, a person to gain clues as to why she was here. But there wasn't a soul. Whatever was going on, they didn't want anyone near her when it happened.
It was sometime later, a long enough time that Sigyn was starting to feel tired, when a sudden red blinking light caught her eye. It was in a corner, that much she could tell, and she saw a small outline of a lens. A video camera then, much smaller than she remembered, but still a camera. Almost as soon as she had discovered the first one, a second blinking light showed up in the other corner.
By Sigyn's estimation of the distance between the two cameras, the room was probably no more than five or six feet wide. Otherwise, the dim red camera lights gave away nothing. Nothing except the fact that these people, her captors, were watching her. Something was definitely going on, and she didn't like it.
There was a faint mechanical noise, and each of the two cameras moved in different directions, back and forth, up and down, until finally settling on a spot Sigyn could only assume was herself. She tensed, waiting for something to finally happen, but there was nothing.
The chair was becoming uncomfortable, and her legs and hands were becoming numb. She could feel the tingles in her fingertips, and eventually in her toes. Nothing changed. The camera didn't move, there were no sounds, not a person entered her range, everything was as normal as it could be while she was strapped down to a chair. At least Doctor Barrett wasn't here.
And eventually, finally, things changed. Four straight cracks suddenly appeared in the wall directly in Sigyn's line of sight, a soft blue light shining through the square outline. She stared at it, unsure of how to react to this sudden change, but she was curious as to why this would be so important. She watched as a door slid up, revealing the thing that glowed so brightly that she had to close her eyes. After a few moments, she opened them and looked at the glowing object with narrowed eyes.
It was a mass of moving blue, the light emanating from within without interruption, though it was in a shape that Sigyn wasn't expecting. The light was contained in a box of glass, trapping the swirling blue within its walls. The box moved closer to her, the small silver table it was resting on growing closer, until it stopped, only three feet from her face.
She stared at it, studying how the blue fire danced and swirled around the core of blue light. Sigyn realized that it wasn't the cube itself that they were showing her, but the thing inside. The glass walls around it kept it contained, kept people safe from the power when handled. But the core of the cube wasn't something that could have been created by scientists. It was far too advanced and powerful. No, this was something else, something new and Sigyn had no idea how to approach.
Sigyn dropped her shields just enough to reach out towards the cube. She felt her mind go past the clear walls, for she was sure that ordinary glass never could have contained it, and gently brushed her mind across the thing at the center.
Her whole body jerked and tensed in surprise and shock. This thing, whatever it was, had power that she had never thought existed. It was in a constant state of motion, almost fluid in the way that it churned and moved, but it was completely impenetrable. Emotions were radiating off of it too, and it was something Sigyn had never felt before.
The emotions that rolled through her mind, some quickly and some more slowly, had no names and had not been experienced by herself or any person she had ever come into contact with. It was foreign, unknown. Sigyn stared at the cube and had no idea what to do. She could feel a vague form of curiosity from the core, though it was jumbled and twisted with other feelings she couldn't understand. They were curious about each other, each wanting to learn more. Sigyn, following the same instinct that had served useful in getting out of bad situations in the past, dropped her walls and allowed the blue fire to pour its own emotions into her mind.
It was a unique feeling, giving an object complete access to her mind, but she knew this was the right thing to do. Her instincts told her that this, what she was experiencing now, would turn into something amazing and powerful, even if she didn't understand it, even if she never learned why. So when Sigyn threw her mind open completely to the thing inside the cube, it reached forward, pulling her closer until her mind and the object were almost one being.
The things this object felt, the power within that little clear cube was overwhelming. The emotions that it was showing her was so immense it consumed her entire mind. She had no thoughts, no feelings of her own, and she was so completely surrounded by that blue glow that she knew nothing else.
It could have been seconds, or days, Sigyn didn't know or care. But eventually, the blue glow withdrew from her mind, taking its time. As the object's emotions faded from the corners of her brain, she grew aware of her body, feeling the numbness in her arms and legs, the ache of muscles. Her mind seemed the same as it had been, but also completely different. Sigyn was still herself, her thoughts her own, yet something within her had changed. She couldn't tell now, as the glow receded entirely from her mind, but there was a feeling as if some knowledge had been placed in her thoughts, just out of reach. The harder she tried to grasp for it, the more it buried itself behind emotions, walls, and thoughts.
She hardly noticed as the cube was pulled away from her, still sitting on that little table, and through the small opening before the door closed, blocking out its light completely. She was utterly exhausted, bone-weary as if the blue fire had sapped her strength when it consumed her mind. Her mind was raw on the edges, as if it had been scraped against the rough fabric of the rug she had used to call her bed. Knowing her mind was vulnerable to anyone who came near, she quickly put up a weak wall, hoping it would be enough to protect the sore spots.
And then she relaxed. Closing her eyes, her breaths getting deeper until she was in a state of half-sleep, she allowed herself to start processing everything the cube had showed her. Her half-awake dreams took her to a different place. She knew she was still strapped to that chair, but she could see children running down a street, laughing as they kicked a ball back and forth to each other. Then it changed into something similar, but different. There were still children, but they were dressed oddly, in clothes that Sigyn had never seen. Instead of a ball being kicked around, one of the children conjured a small circle of green magic and tossed it to another child, who passed it to another, who passed it to a forth. They too were laughing, just as the other children had. Just like children should.
Unexpectedly, a person appeared at the edges of Sigyn's awareness causing her to snap awake immediately, pulling her from the children in the street. The person was moving rather quickly towards her, though she noticed that they changed directions several times before moving directly towards her. They were walking through hallways in the building, she realized. As the person grew closer, she could recognize the emotion swirling around in his head, almost completely consumed by a disgusting red haze.
Sigyn reinforced her shield, throwing up everything she had, unable to stand the feeling of that man's mind so close to hers. She winced with the effort, her mind strained from weeks of hard practice and then the experience she had with the blue fire inside the cube. He was coming towards her with a purpose, and she could feel his determination. She cringed as much as she could while in the chair, hoping that he wouldn't spend too long with her, that he would leave her alone to recover.
The door opened, the lights flicked on unceremoniously, and then there was the sound of plastic wheels rolling against the ground. There were a few movements of material sliding against itself before he spoke.
"Well, that was quite a show you put on my dear."
Sigyn closed her eyes at the sounds of Doctor Barret's voice, unwilling to remember him at all.
"Unfortunately, the others think that you've had enough for the day, so there won't be any more tests or experiments on you. We do require samples of your blood, however."
Sigyn saw movement in the corner of her eye, and she closed them, unwilling to see the evil man. There was the sound of latex gloves snapping into place, a few other noises as Doctor Barret got the supplies ready, and then she felt the painful rubber piece wrapped around her upper arm.
She ignored everything he said, not even comprehending it enough to give a reaction, and felt the cold wipe on her arm before the needle was pressed into her vein. It seemed to take much longer than it had the last time, though there wasn't much she could do about it. She was completely at the mercy of the man who had caused her the most pain in her long life.
She felt the band on her upper arm release, the needle come out of her arm, more pressure as a bandage was applied to the spot, and then a different, sharp pain in her upper arm, just above where the band had been. She yelped, turning her head to look at the doctor.
"Don't worry," he told her with a smile. "It's only a mild sedative. You'll only be asleep long enough for me to take the straps off you. Just sleep like the good girl you are."
She tried to fight it, forcing her eyes to stay open as she glared at the man. But within seconds, it was impossible. Her eyes closed, her body relaxed, and the last thought she had was about how quick that stupid sedative had worked on her.
Her foggy mind had a hard time sorting through all the information coming from her senses. It took several moments for her body to adjust. First, she realized that she was still in the damned chair, though the straps were gone. There was light, bright enough to shine through her eyelids, but not enough for her to shy away from it. The air was cold, that she could feel on her bare arms and feet. Her body still ached on the left side, but her arms and legs were no longer numb.
She opened her eyes, confirming that she was still in the same room, though she was happy to be able to move freely. She quickly slid out of the chair, stumbling as her head felt like it was going in circles. When her balance returned she looked around the room. The cameras were still there, pointing at her with those blinking red lights. There was a small metal tray on wheels just behind the chair. There were three doors, as far as Sigyn could tell, the small one in which the cube had come through, a door behind the chair, where Doctor Barret had entered from the hallways, and a third one was wide open, showing a view of her cell. Was she seeing that right? Could she expect to return to her cell without any more fuss?
Sigyn couldn't see a problem with returning to her cell when they wanted her too, she didn't want to stay in the room with the chair. She was more than happy to be in her own space, to be able to crawl under the blankets and sort out what exactly had happened to her, how that blue cube had affected her. So she stepped through the doorway
As soon as she was through there was a hiss, of air and Sigyn turned to see the door descend from the upper portion of the doorway, then fill in seamlessly with the wall of her cell. At least that explained why she had never noticed the doorway before.
There was food waiting in the small compartment, along with a small book, a title that she didn't recognize by an author she had never heard of. She would have to look at that later, right now she needed food. She ate slowly, feeling her stomach tighten and roll with every bite, though she couldn't determine why. She took a sip of water every so often, and when she was done eating, she refilled the cup with cold water from her shower and sipped on that as she sat on the mattress, her back against the wall, staring at the book.
There was no cover, as if the dust jacket of the book couldn't be trusted in her care. This particular copy was well worn, the hardback cover turning gray in some places. It was obviously a well-loved book, something that the owner had read and reread a dozen or more times.
She was too tired too read, yet the book never left her hand. She had it gripped in her fist as she pulled the blankets back and crawled under them, and stayed close as she fell asleep. The book was clutched tightly to her chest when she woke the next day. And it stayed in her hand the entire morning, even as she ate her breakfast and started her morning routine.
Meditating had become her first priority after breakfast. Her mind was full of thoughts, jumbled emotions, twisted memories. She needed to calm her mind, to sort everything into the right spot so she could function and focus. It took some time to put all the confusing swirling in her mind into the right place, but she succeeded, the book still resting on her lap.
She tested her shields, making sure they were up and still as strong as ever after the odd encounter with the cube the day before. She was happy to find that they were fine, and, if anything, her walls had only grown stronger.
A shower was next on her list of things to do. She wasn't dirty, but she felt as if she was after Doctor Barret's hands had touched her, gloves or no. She stood under the water for a long time, working out hardened muscles she hadn't realized she had. But fifty-two years, if Doctor Barret was to be trusted to tell the truth with how long she had been here, had wreaked a lot more havoc than Sigyn had expected.
She had to be impressed with herself. With all the times she had been moved cell to cell, the things she had been subjected to, the malnourishment she suffered, and the loneliness that still ate away at her, she had kept up to date on the time she had spent in this place. An estimate of fifty years was pretty good when the real number was fifty-two.
And then suddenly, she realized how depressing of a thought that was. Her life had come to calculating the accuracy of her estimate of the duration of her captivity. She needed a better pastime, a pastime in which she had received and was currently waiting for her on the bed. Sigyn was suddenly thankful that there was something for her brain to focus on.
After finishing her shower, she brushed her hair, braiding it to keep it out of her face as she sat on the floor and lounged against the mattress, noticing that the sheets had been changed again, probably during the time she had been in that other room. But that didn't matter so much to her. She pulled one of the blankets off her bed, settling it over her lap, before opening the book to the first chapter.
As far as Sigyn could tell, it was a children's chapter book. It wasn't difficult to read, but it was entertaining. She hadn't read anything in the time she had been locked up, and while she retained the ability to read, it had been slow progress at first. But after reading through several chapters it was like she hadn't been deprived of reading material for half a century.
She paced herself, standing and walking around her cell, doing various stretches, focusing on her flexibility. She did a few strength exercises, but flexibility was a more important matter now. She couldn't escape with her full strength when she had first been captured, and she knew technology and ways to keep her contained had only advanced in the time she had been here, so strength was useless. No, if she wanted to get out she would have to use her mind. But she still needed to make sure her body was in good condition.
She made it halfway through the book that day. She clutched it tightly to her chest again when she decided to sleep, holding onto the precious gift someone had given her. She didn't know who it was, but she could only thank them for this small bit of entertainment. The lights dimmed not long after she climbed into her bed, and Sigyn fell into a deep sleep.