Another Monday, another update.
Enjoy!
545 sat in her cell, staring at the ground as she thought carefully. Jason needed her to map out the forbidden parts of the prison, but how was she supposed to do that? She couldn't just go there on her own, and Hades had not called for her since she'd been given this mission a few days ago. Did he know? No, that wasn't possible. There was no way that he knew, right? Just how much did he know?
545 sighed and looked up to the roof of her cell, trying to come up with an answer to her conundrum. She did have one idea, but she didn't like the idea. Causing trouble was not what anyone did in Tartarus willingly. After all, trouble meant beatings. And beatings meant pain. But she needed to get into the that wing of the prison. Even just getting to catch a glimpse of it.
No, she needed to do this.
Taking a deep breath, 545 stood and walked over to the barred doors. She stared out into the hall quietly, before she sighed and grabbed the bars.
"Hey, guards!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. "Do you hear me, you assholes?! Come over here! I need to talk to you!"
"Shut the fuck up, bitch!" A prisoner shouted from across the hall.
"Hey guards, come and beat this bitch's ass!" Another said. Laughter came from a few of the cells. 545 had never seen the halls so lively.
"I know you pricks can hear me!" She shouted. "I wanna talk to you this instant! Come here right now!"
"What the fuck do you want?" 545 looked down the hall as a duo of guards approached, weapons ready and pointed at her.
"Bring me to Hades," she instructed. "Now."
"Yeah, okay." One said with a smirk. "And who is going to make us?"
"Just kick her ass!" Another prisoner shouted.
"Radio him," 545 said. "Tell him 545 wants to see him." The guards exchanged a look, neither saying a word. Finally, the one on the left sighed and took a radio lacrima out of his pocket.
"Sir this is the South East Wing prison detail," he said. "Prisoner 545 is making a ruckus, says she wants to talk to you. What should we do?...Yes, 545...Are you certain, sir?...Okay, we're on our way." He put the radio down and looked back at 545. "Up against the wall prisoner, now." 545 did as she was asked and leaned up against the wall, allowing the guards to enter and frisk her. She knew they'd be extra sure she had no weapons this time, so she wasn't surprised when they squeezed her harder than usual. After making sure she wasn't carrying, she was grabbed by the arms and taken out of her cell, much to the joy of the other prisoners.
"That's right, shut the bitch up!" A man shouted.
"I don't wanna see her noisy ass back here ever again!"
"Shut it or you'll all join her!" One of her escorts shouted. The other prisoners quieted down, and 545 was escorted out of her prison wing and down a familiar hallway. As she saw herself entering the hall that led to Hades' office, 545 got to work. She scanned every single angle of the hall she could, and made sure she noted the places that the guards were standing and watching as she was dragged by. She saw some halls that she'd never gone through, and did her best to make sure that she made mental notes of what might be there? But where was the exit to this fucking place?
She got no more time to scan the halls, as soon they reached Hades. 545 was forced inside and made to sit in the cold metal chair in front of Hades' desk. She stared hard at the back of the man in front of her, his back to her.
"Leave us," Hades instructed.
"Yes sir!" The guards said, saluting. This left 545 and Hades alone, and the man turned around with a smile on his face.
"My favourite prisoner!" He exclaimed. "545 my dear, how are you?"
"Let me out of here," 545 said, swallowing hard. Hades laughed.
"What?" He asked. "Sorry, I didn't hear that."
"You got what you wanted from me, didn't you?" She asked weakly. "Now let me out of here." Hades watched her with a confused look on his face, not really doing much. He then laughed right in her face.
"Let you out?" He demanded. "Right, like that's going to happen! Did you really come in here to beg for your freedom? Let me tell you a little secret: I own you now. You aren't Nashi Dragneel anymore. You're not a person anymore, remember? You're a tool, and I'll use you as I see fit. Got it?" 545 stomached the pain, knowing deep in her self he was right. She was nothing more than a vessel for a power he wanted, and that's why she was in here. He was right, of course he was.
And yet, as she felt herself teetering on the edge of the pit, the fire in her stomach burned. She saw flashes of her life before and the smile she saw on her own face, and she felt her feet plant firmly back on the ledge. She would not let him push her back in the pit. She could beat him here, she knew she could.
"You got what you wanted, you said as much." She said weakly. "What's to lose from letting me go?"
"Well, everything I worked so hard to get." He said. "After all, I'm not fool. Fairy Tail ain't the kind to just be wronged by someone and let it slide. If I let you free, and you go back to them, I may very well have to kiss this whole plan goodbye. So allow me to reiterate: the only way you're leaving this prison is in a body bag." 545 swallowed hard, feeling the cold that emanated from Hades' very being threatening to swallow her whole. And yet, the embers in her stomach resisted the cold. It wouldn't allow her to freeze.
"You could set me free anywhere, I don't care." 545 said, doing her best to get clues from his office. Was there anything she might be able to gather from this office? No, it didn't seem like it. Save for his desk, the office was pretty bare and bleak. Just like the prison, really. Was there something in his desk, maybe? How the hell would she be able to search it? Hades would never allow her. Never in a million years.
"Do I need to say it again?" Hades asked. 545's eyes widened, her gaze glued on the man in front of her. His somewhat joking tone had disappeared, and the cold chill he gave off intensified. He walked around the desk and grabbed a handful of her greasy hair, making her look at him.
"L-Let me go..." She tried to say, but her breath hitched in her throat at the murderous intent in his eyes.
"I won't entertain your ridiculous requests," he said. "Do I need to bring you in more often? Take more of that bitch's power? Seems to me you've got to much spirit for your own good. Or do you just want to die, is that it? Do you want me to punch a hole into your stomach and hang you from your own entrails, you good for nothing whore? Hmm?"
545 fought her instinct to flee with every fibre of her being and focused. His over the top threats aside, he had threatened to bring her in for more treatment. To take more of the power she carried. She needed that! It was perfect! It gave her the perfect reason to come down this way more and more often, to map out the area as best she could like Jason wanted!
"Take as much of my power as you damn well please," she managed to hiss through the fear. "I won't break like those others fools. You hear me? I won't break." Hades just watched her, his stare ice cold. And then, he smiled.
"And I thought you were a quitter," he said.
Takara had to admit, she didn't know if this whole plan was going to get her killed or be her salvation. Was bringing 545 along on this a good idea? Jason was right, she very well could be a spy planted by Hades to weed out anyone trying to escape. Then again, when Takara saw the way the nearly Broken girl's eyes had lit up the past few days, she doubted that very much. She could see that the pain this girl had gone through was real, and that she really was trying to get out. But bringing on someone else after so many years was very dangerous. Was it worth it?
Honestly, it was. To Takara, getting out of here wasn't something she just wished for one day. She worked for it. She had no idea how many times she'd watched guards to map out there exact placement, to make sure she'd be able to stealth past them. How many times she'd counted the seconds in between the rotations they made. It was all to get her out of her. She was certain that her plans to get out had even kept her sane in her darker moments. The only thing that prevented her from becoming Broken was the idea of escape. She needed to get out, and she needed to find her brother.
At this thought, Takara curled up into a ball and held her knees close to her face. How many years had it been now since Tetsu had been taken? She could barely even remember his face, what he liked or disliked. Given how many years had passed, she doubted he even knew he had a family. Was he even alive?
No, she had to believe he was alive. She would get out of here and make sure The Olympians paid for taking him for her and their parents. She would find him and make this right. She had to.
Takara was ripped from her thoughts as the gate to the exercise yard as opened, and guards entered. She watched in shock as 545 was thrown inside, lying in a heap on the ground. The guards left, and the pinkette struggled to her feet and began to limp through the yard. She looked horrible. The limp, the bruises on her body, it was all horrific.
"545!" Takara shouted as she got up and ran to her friend. She caught the girl just before she collapsed. "Damn it, did Hades get you again! Ugh, that fucker! Here, come sit down and-!"
"I-I'm okay, Takara?" 545's voice came, low and weak. Takara looked down to find the girl smiling at her weakly. "I'm fine."
"Y-You are not!" Takara said as she dragged the girl closer to the wall to lay her against it. "What happened?"
"I started mapping out The Forbidden Wing," 545 answered. "I forced some guards to bring me to Hades, and then I said he could take as much of my power as he wanted. Now he's going to torture me more, and I can map out the wing."
"Are you insane?!" Takara hissed. "Hades will kill you if this keeps up! Don't go so far!"
"It's the only way," 545 answered as she sucked in her breathes painfully. "If I don't we'll never find the Doors of Death. I can make it through this, really." Takara watched the girl weakly as she assessed her wounds, wincing as she poked at bruises in her body.
"You're insane," she stated flatly. "How can you so readily accept this pain? He might kill you." 545 ignored Takara at first as she poked at her wounds, but soon she looked up.
"Every night, I see people in my dreams." She said, voice and tone steady. "I see the same people every night, people from who I was before. Then I see myself, but healthy and happy. I...I want to see that for myself. See them for myself. And the only way to do that is to readily take this pain and map out the Wing." Takara watched 545 warily, finding it hard to believe a girl who had been Broken had been revitalised this much. Despite not knowing her real life, not accepting it, she was putting herself through hell to get back to it. To get it for herself. It was incredible.
"What changed?" She asked weakly. "I mean, what started this change in you? Just a week ago you were ready to die."
"Maybe that's why I saw them," she said. "To keep me from accepting that. Anyway, I have a favour to ask of you." Takara watched as 545 pointed away from them, towards a group of girls near what little exercise equipment there was in the yard.
"We'll need to start working out." 545 said.
"Why?" Takara asked.
"So we're strong enough to escape if it comes down to a fight," 545 said. "And I need to to keep my strength up in case my body breaks dealing with this torture. Can you use magic, Takara?" Takara made a face at this, looking down at her hands.
"I can," she replied. "But it's been so long since I even tried it. They lace the food in here with Magic Canceller, you know. I'd be surprised if I can even conjure any magic anymore."
"That'll pose a problem then," 545 replied as she massaged her wrists. "If it comes down to it we'll get overpowered because we can't use magic. Maybe if we start rationing ourselves."
"Off of the very little food they do give us?" Takara demanded. "Eating any less and we won't have the energy to fight to escape."
"So we have to avoid direct confrontation," 545 mused. "Great. We still have to work out though. Otherwise we may as well kiss this plan goodbye." Takara just stared at the girl in surprise, still not sure what to say. The complete 180 that 545 had done was so off-putting to her. Still, she'd gotten them further than they'd been in a long time. They needed her.
"Well, what should we do now?" Takara asked.
"First and foremost, we use some of that equipment to keep our bodies in tip top shape. Probably work harder when we're assigned labour. Sound like a plan thus far?" Takara nodded.
"I get it," she said. "We should tell Jason what you plan to do. See if he agrees with it."
"I don't care if he agrees with me or not." 545 said flatly. "Right now, his plan falls on my shoulders. So if he needs my help, he's going to get it my way and not his. Not that he even has a way. If he did he wouldn't have needed me." Takara snorted at this. Clearly Jason's treatment of 545 had not made her a fan of his.
"Well, let's get over to that equipment then." Takara said as she stood. "Or do you want to wait a day and rest?"
"No point in resting," 545 said. "I'm going to go back to Hades tomorrow anyway, so now is as good as it's going to get." Takara managed a smile and offered 545 her hand, which she took to stand unsteadily.
"Let's get to work," she said.
Hades watched the women's exercise yard with a smirk on his face, watching 545 and her new friend what's-her-face moving towards the shitty weights the girls had made to keep themselves entertained.
"She really thought she was slick, huh?" He asked to himself with a laugh. "As if, after all this time, you just grew a spine. I guess Jason got to her and wants to use her to escape huh? That's not really surprising at all."
"Should we do anything about it, sir?" Thanatos asked from behind him. Hades chuckled.
"I wonder," he said. "What do you think, Thanatos?"
"Can I speak freely?" The man asked.
"Sure, why not." Hades said. "Your opinion always gives me something to think about."
"We should stomp this while we can," Thanatos replied. "I know you're itching for something interesting to happen in this place, but allowing our resident VIP to plot an escape right under our nose is foolish." Hades smirked at this, weighing this option.
"I see your point," he replied. "But allow me to give a counter point. It'd be a hell of a lot of fun."
"Sir, we do a lot of important work down here." Thanatos said slowly. "If the other Olympians were to find out you allowed a prison break to happen-"
"There are no more Olympians," Hades replied flatly. "Zeus is dead. Poseidon and the others are scattered, lost in the wind after losing the man behind it all."
"Then why are we even still keeping these people in here?" Thanatos asked. "Our main objective was to keep them from interfering with the others. So what is our purpose even?" Hades just laughed at this, turning to smile at Thanatos.
"The rest of these prisoners can die down here, for all I care." He said with a smile. "Our focus is END and her power, remember? We need her."
"Then why allow her to escape?" Hades could only smile even wider as he turned his eyes back to the yard, where 545 was on a rusted bench press.
"Where's the fun in the game if we don't give our opponent the chance to play?"
Little bit of a smaller update for this week, but I figured I had to get a chapter out after missing last week like a pleb. I will be consistent though! I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!
Chapter 348: Hades' Game