"What's this?" said Tamara. Four guards flanked her.

Jason sat back. One arm on Gray's protectively. "Please help him. He just swallowed some pills."

"How many?"

"I don't know. I got most of them I think—maybe five?"

"Five would be enough. Let's get him out of here." She gestured to the guards and they snapped into action—two took Gray's arms while the other two took his legs. And they carried him swiftly out the door as he struggled weakly.

Tamara stepped in and the door slid shut. "It is ironic I came to save him—and ended up literally saving his life." She took a few steps closer and looked down at Jason, pity and admonishment in her eyes.

"You came to—save him?"

She nodded. "Lila has almost ruined this project. She's too much of a wild card to handle something this crucial."

"What do you mean?"

"Gray isn't just any agent. He's extraordinary. He's just been dealt a bad hand. We know what breaks people most of all." She grimaced. "And Lila sent him down here—" She shook her head. "I shouldn't have allowed it in the first place. You can't heal someone by traumatizing them. I'm taking over Gray's training personally."

"You think… he can be healed?"

"Anyone can. But you have to be careful about it. The best assets can be the most sensitive. He might have been unsalvageable if this were allowed to go on much longer."

Anger soared through him. "You were almost too late."

"It would have been to our detriment. From now on, we will treat him as the asset he is. We will put him back together again—fill in the cracks with adamantine."

"Recreate him in your own image."

"That is the good thing about him being this damaged. If we acquired him at his height, we would have had to break him… and he might have shattered, given how independent he is. Independence can cause brittle resistance. We will use his independence, too. Give him the freedom he seeks."

"How much freedom can he have, tied to you?"

"By the end of this, he will be one with us. He will want to do what we ask. Because there is in him a lot that is similar to us, such as the ruthless desire to accomplish a great vision, without the constraints of traditional moral codes or conventional structures. He still could shatter. But we'll do our best to make sure that doesn't happen. First of all, we will not put him on human trafficking detail, at least for a long time, until we can give him the mental toughness to endure anything." She tilted her head. "In the end, that's where you'll arrive, too."

"I'll never join you."

She smiled. "I'd expect nothing less than your hardest resistance. But we always prevail." She crouched down to his level. "Did you really think we wouldn't know what happened the instant it did? There are cameras in the entertainment room."

"You…might not have looked at them."

"There are distress triggers. You have no inkling how our system really works beyond the rudimentary obvious. Rave was taken up soon after Nalika. By the way, Nalika had a healthy baby girl."

His heart leaped. "Really?"

Tamara nodded. "And Rave has a broken ankle and rib. One thing I'm puzzled about—you shouldn't have been able to touch him without being shocked. His autoshock was on, and your monitor should have reactivated as soon as you came back down here. So something is either wrong with the device—or in our system. We have to find out if it was accidental or not. In any case, we will reactivate it as soon as we can figure out the problem. And you will be punished."

Fear trembled through him. He sat on the chair and Tamara slid elegantly to her feet.

"First of all, you will stay in your room indefinitely. We will not send down any food. When Elena returns, the rest of your punishment will be at her discretion."

The room faded; Tamara's face was indistinct.

"When…?"

"It will be sooner than she anticipated. Apparently she had some sort of problem…." Concern struck her eyes— "…with the baby."

Alarm hit him. "Elliot's baby?"

She paused, then nodded. "There were signs of distress before she left, but she brushed them off. Now it may have progressed."

"What's wrong?"

"We'll find out when she gets back. An outside doctor might have to patch her up so she can travel. But the best care is here. Besides, with Elliot here, she could hardly explain the baby's existence to an outsider."

"What about Elliot?" His throat was dry.

"His punishment won't be severe since the guard was hurting Gray. That was unauthorized. Still, Elliot is a slave. He should not assault a guard. You however—the sheer brutality of your attack on an Admin will not be in your favor."

"I had to do something."

"I hate to say it, but it was at his discretion."

"He could've hurt the baby. If you don't care about Nalika—you at least care about the kids in the harem. That's the whole point of it."

"And Rave is the harem's Admin. I don't like it either. But the harem girls are eventually replaceable."

Anger ripped through him. He stood, fingernails digging into his palms.

"Perhaps it'll soothe you to know that the guard who hurt Gray will also be punished."

"Gray will be alright?"

"He's receiving the best of care."

"What if it's too late?"

"It isn't, thanks to you; you mitigated most of the damage. Elena, I think, will take that into account. But first—she'll need to take care of herself. And then she may even want to defer the punishment or exchange it for something more pleasant…." She looked at him with a mixture of jealousy and regret. Then she turned and slipped out the door.

Jason leaned back in the chair, his mind swirling with horror and trepidation. Gray was being cared for—but he couldn't be sure he'd be okay. Even then—he was in their hands again. They intended to mold him, like they intended to mold Jason. And Gray was in a much more vulnerable mental state. Could he resist them?

Being with us—it had to mean something.

But would it be enough.

And Nalika. Would she be okay? Jason wasn't sure what exactly Rave had been doing to her, but it seemed like it had triggered labor. What else could it have done if it was that severe?

And Elliot's baby. Something was wrong. Jason couldn't care less about Elena. But what if Elliot lost his baby? After all he'd been through?

Most of all, Jason dreaded Elena's return. At least she might be preoccupied at first. But she planned to punish him. What Tamara had said made his blood run cold.

What Elena expected—what she wanted—

I have to escape. Before she returns.

In any case, they've found out about the autoshock. They might turn it back on again.

I have to contact Zar. He won't care about the rules. He might be able to get me out without their noticing.

The others will be locked in till morning… if I can incapacitate him then contact them—and they get away as soon as they can—

The good thing about Zar is that he won't be missed. He's not a regular Admin but he has some of the same rights and privileges.

I need to see if he's around first.

Jason called Ali.

"Hello Jason! It's good to hear your voice. What's up?"

"Is Zar back?"

"He's on the way, actually. He wants to be here when Elena returns to make his case."

"When will she be back? Tamara said it would be soon."

"You were speaking with Tamara?"

"She came to get Gray. If Zar wants to be here when she's back, it must be soon."

"It's in the ballpark of two, three days. Zar's just eager to speak to her personally so he can make sure I get punished for hitting him. He's the one that's probably going to get in trouble for going too far with you."

"Does he… have any plans to…." His voice caught in his throat.

"I'm not sure. I can check. My guess would be that he…probably wants to get his hands on you soon. Before Elena gets here—he knows he'll probably be in trouble because I'll tell my side of the story. In my opinion he doesn't have a leg to stand on. He went perilously close to damaging you permanently—and the cameras will back that up. He probably wants to see if he can get away with something else before she gets here and you're totally off-limits."

"That might work in my favor."

"How so?"

"I… want to lure him down here. To make sure he never touches me again."

"That sounds dangerous." His voice was brimming with eagerness. "How can I help?"

"You already have. I'll just call him myself."

"You're going to pretend to give him what he wants? What if he—overpowers you?"

"Well—you took the autoshock off. I have that advantage. Though… they might be putting it back on again."

"Really? They found out?"

"I…hit an Admin."

"Again." Ali laughed. "Yes, I can help with that. I'll try to make sure it stays off. And I'll take away Zar's access to shockrods. So—you'll be on a more even playing field."

"Thank you. That's all I need."

"In a fair fight, it's no contest. You're in good shape otherwise?"

"I've been…training."

"You'll win unless he does something underhanded, which I can't rule out. I only wish I could have ringside seats. At least I'll be able to see the replay."

Jason wasn't about to tell him he'd lure Zar to the tunnels where there were no cameras. Ali probably would never see him again after he slipped through the entertainment room door.

What a relief to be away from this place of pain and fear. This whole environment was filled with a miasma; he could sense it even more now that he was about to breathe free air again.

"Do you have a strategy?" said Ali.

"Hit him until he stays down."

"Probably don't need much more, since he fancies himself a fighter when he's beating people who are tied up. I was the one who hit him before— this way you'll be able to get catharsis. He doesn't add anything to this place anyway; I'll be glad to see him gone. It might make things difficult for us when it comes to Zar's father. I don't suppose that matters to you."

"I probably won't kill him. I'm not going to incapacitate him permanently. Other than that, I can't make any promises."

"I wouldn't ask anything else of you. Is there anything else you need from me? This seems paltry compared to what I have to make up for."

"You don't really need to."

"I did take advantage of your trust. I can't forgive myself for that. Until I make sure I won't do something I regret again, I have to keep my distance. But I'd like to do what I can. Because… you know why."

"I know you care about me. But if you really…care for me—could you not mention your feelings? In this environment… it makes me… it just… reminds me of them. Of…"

"What I could have done. Got it. I was like Zar in that moment, and I never want to be like him again. I feel so much but…. That's no excuse. From now on… I'll tone it down. To have your friendship is worth it. Anything else?"

"Well… maybe if you could lure Zar here for me? I… don't think I can stomach pretending to…." Just thinking about it made him sick.

"I think I might be able to figure something out… in the name of extending an olive branch to him. So he doesn't demand I get punished and I don't tell them my side of the story.

"So—you hit an Admin? You were punished for it?"

"I… I'm grounded. Tamara said Elena would punish me further when she returned."

"So you're trapped. Zar will be enticed by that…. I could tell him that, pretend to give him what I took away from him…."

"That sounds….good." Horror shivered through him.

"I'll also make sure he's incapacitated. It isn't really a fair fight if you're trapped. I'll offer him some zyx. If I have my way, he'll barely be able to stand by the time he gets to you!" Ali laughed. "Mm. Your monitor's off, but you never know. We better watch what we say from now on. I'll try to keep your monitor off permanently, but my luck might run out. I'll also try to make sure he doesn't bring any other weapons or rope or anything like that. If nothing else, I'll come with to make sure."

"Don't do that."

"Why?"

"I want to be the one to face him."

"And I suspect you're not ready to face me either." He sounded a little hurt. "Well—I better get on it. He could be here any minute."

"Thank you, Ali."

"Don't mention it." He hung up.

Jason slumped in the chair, exhausted. And the evening hadn't even started yet. He paced for a few moments, then realized he should eat to keep up his strength. He tore open the fridge and gobbled up the last of the cheese. Then some grapes and the leftover crepes from the wedding.

The food settled heavily in his stomach. He leaned his head in his hand, his elbow on the table, pressing into it to the point of pain.

Okay. Come on. Gather your energy.

His skin felt as if a thin film had settled over it, dark and clingy. The memory of the pressure of Zar's fingers slid over his skin, leaving remnants of slime, slick and sickening. They crept over him, pressing him down like thick webs. Threatening to smother him. He took a deep breath but clouds of dust clogged his throat and he gasped—

Something hard hit his shoulder. He cried out with the sharp stab of pain.

It was just the wall.

His face was wet with tears.

Get ahold of yourself, Jason! If you don't, all is lost.

If you don't—if you can't gather enough strength to run back to her—you deserve to be here.

If you can't beat up some awful little psychopath…. Even in a fair fight…

Don't falter like last time. You can't afford to risk him taking you again.

This time he might not heed Elena's warnings at all—

Fear crawled down his spine. But he wrested it to the ground and gathered anger. Delicious hot hatred curled in his stomach. His heart a hard fist, thumping with bloodlust.

He imagined pressing Zar down, squeezing the life out of him—

Carving scars into his skin….

He practiced punching, strength infusing him; a few kicks for good measure.

Then he positioned himself in front of the door. His legs like strong roots, a powerful core throbbing inside him, powering him, energy flooding his veins.

I need to get him to the entertainment room…. And the tunnel… preferably without looking like I'm forcing him, until I'm away from the view of the cameras….

The door slid open.

Jason's heart shuddered. He reinforced it with steel coils of just-tempered hate, still glowing. Soldering them there, a permanent shield.

"Oh, look!" Zar swayed inside. "You did this for me?"

Zar's voice partially melted the steel around Jason's heart. Zar advanced, a little unsteadily.

Ali must've fed him zyx. Or just alcohol—he does need a lot to get compromised.

Zar's face triggered flashbacks of his face in the Gold Room as he caressed him, kissed him, stabbed his shoulder, twisted vicious gems into his chest and stomach.

Phantom pains slashed his skin. Tears threatened.

Come on! Don't let him get the better of you again! Do you want to be a slave?

No! his heart screamed as Zar crept closer, reaching out.

He stepped around the couch, putting it between himself and Zar.

"Stop," he said, his voice strong, although his heart was quivering in a quantum state between hatred and terror.

Remember the last time I attacked Zar.

Remember how I crushed Rave—how satisfying it was.

How I resisted Ali.

I can do this.

Let hatred burn out all fear.

Don't let this disgusting being get to me. No matter what I deserve—he deserves less.

Zar stopped, tilting his head. "Oh. They aren't Zs."

"What are you talking about?" He slid his hand into his pocket, ready to use his knife.

"Those clothes are beautiful—but they're E's!" He pouted.

Jason looked down. He'd forgotten about the clothes he'd been forced to wear—red this time, emblazoned with the same golden letters. Now that he saw them, they burned into his chest and thigh.

"Oh, well—she can't do anything since she's not here. And you can't escape." He crept around the couch.

"Come any closer and I will hurt you."

Zar withdrew his shockrod. "I've got this."

I hope that Ali followed through and took away his access to the shocks….

Zar ran toward Jason, stumbling a little—Jason whipped around the divider, pretending to be cornered; he waited until Zar stepped around it, then punched him in the face.

"Ow!" Zar shrieked.

Taste of your own medicine.

Anger slashed through the fear in Zar's eyes; he raised the shockrod and advanced.

Shocks laced through Jason's body. Stabbing through his mouth, shooting out of his eyes—

Blazing against his stomach

Jabbing through the most sensitive places—white-hot agony raging through him and slicing him apart—shattering him into myriad slivers of screaming flesh—

"Hm," said a voice above him.

Jason looked up.

He realized he was curled up on the floor, the cold of the linoleum seeping into his cheek, arm, and thigh. Remnants of electric shocks skittered over his skin, bit into random points of his body, wrenching his joints as if the shockrod were still pressing into them—

Zar tapped the shockrod against his palm. Blood trickled from his nose. "Why isn't it working?"

Jason realized that the shockrod hadn't worked at all. It had just been his memories cutting him down—

Maybe I deserve this…. It crushes me so easily….

No! If you think that way you're already lost!

Get up!

Grasping hatred and letting it revitalize him, he leapt to his feet. No time to let in any fear.

Redhot hatred burned through his heart, shining through his soul. Lancing out into Zar, screeching into his veins – the little coward fell before his onslaught and now he was the one curled up on the floor.

Exultation ripped through him. He held the shockrod at his side like a shining sword.

A welt appeared on Zar's arm, a defensive wound. Fear screamed though his eyes. "D-don't hurt me!"

"So you don't like this? Maybe you shouldn't hurt people." Jason advanced and Zar curled up further, covering his face.

I hope you like the show, Ali. The only repayment I can give you for your kindness, driven by undesirable ulterior motives though it was….

"Get up."

Shakily Zar rose to his feet, looking warily at Jason. "They'll punish you for this," he said petulantly.

"You're not even supposed to be here. Elena will punish you."

"You're just a slave. She won't listen to you."

"She'll see the replay. And I'm…important to her, so she'll have to do something." He touched the E on his chest; it made him shudder, twining cold into his fingers. But he shut that feeling off—he'd be away from her grasp soon. "Maybe you do have something I want."

Hope gleamed in his eyes. "Really?"

"I won't attack you with this if you get me out of here."

"Oh!" Zar snapped his fingers. "That was the original plan! I just saw you and forgot!"

"What do you mean."

"She won't see us in the tunnel."

"What tunnel."

Zar's eyes danced. "There's a wonderful place I wanted to show you!" He looked somewhat contrite, which was an ill-fitting look on him. "I'm sorry for last time. I had to punish you, but… I did get carried away a little. Now I jeopardized my position—Elena might not let me have you again. But if I take you into the tunnel, they won't be able to see anything. We could meet up there."

"Why would I ever want to meet up with you."

"Well… if you don't like pain—"

"I don't."

"I could give you some freedom. And in return…. We could kind of….get to know each other."

"After what you did—" He choked out the words.

"I guess I was a bit hard on you. You're so beautiful you can't really blame me. But now I want something different. It's weird. I want…a relationship. That's better than what Elena could give you."

You're both abhorrent. But I do have to play along for now… and he actually wants to take me to the place I want to go….

"I want freedom. And I have the upper hand. If you can get me out of here… maybe… I'll give you something besides just not beating you up." Can't totally incapacitate him anyway… need him to tell me the way out of the tunnel… perhaps for his biometrics… perhaps as a hostage….

Just as a lure. I'm not really giving him anything.

"Sounds like a deal!" Zar held out his hand.

Jason hated the idea of touching him. He looked at his hand for a moment….. if he touches me maybe he'll hurt me—

But no, I have the shockrod. And the knife.

He grasped Zar's hand; grime seeped into him, making him cringe. He could only hold that hand for a moment before pulling away.

Zar didn't seem to notice his revulsion. He grinned, white teeth flashing. "Alright! Let's go!" He led the way to the door.

As the door opened, Jason took a deep breath, unable to hold back his relief at being free. Relatively. Just the thought of being trapped in his room made him feel as if the walls were closing in on him, and the air was slowly getting cut off.

Zar as the key. The irony!

Through the dimly lit hallway, then the silvery glow of the Cathedral. An unexpected feeling of regret hit him—this was the one place that held mostly pleasant memories. The soft scent of orange leaves and damp moss filled the air, soothing him. Reminding him of the good things—just a fraction of it was here. The rest was Outside.

His heart fluttered when he thought of how close he was to Connie.

Her face overwhelmed his imagination—it was hard to believe she was actually real. So amazing she was… so ethereal—not tainted by this place at all.

Will she want me…. I'll bring with me the darkness and horror, clinging to me like a film of filth…

She won't be disgusted by me, especially since I fought my way to her, despite everything. She'll understand I never wanted any of what they did to me…

His heart shuddered when they reached the entertainment room. Horror roiled over him—it was a place of pure torture.

But the only way out is through.

The door opened and Zar spun around, arms spread, a beatific smile on his face. "So many wonderful memories here!"

Jason didn't think he could have been more disgusted at Zar before—but he'd been wrong.

He could barely stand to look at him, but he had to in order to keep track of him. Just a few more steps before the shreds of the thin façade would vanish.

Zar reached up, his fingers brushing a vicious spiked chain hanging from the ceiling. Then he lovingly caressed a whip. Finally they reached the large cabinet at the back. He rummaged through it and picked up a few small jars then put them in his pockets.

"What's that?" said Jason, alarmed.

"Just a bit of harmless fun. And something we need." He crouched down and pressed something beneath the cabinet; there was a slight click, and it slid aside with a grinding noise.

Gradually revealing a gaping hole in the wall.

A dark maw breathed cool air, a slight whistling noise blowing through it. In the light from the room, Jason could make out rough-hewn walls, a floor that disappeared around a corner.

"What is that?"

"Our ticket to freedom!" said Zar.

A prickle of trepidation hitting him, he followed Zar into the tunnel.

And Zar pressed a lever on the back of the cabinet, and it slit shut, enclosing them in darkness.