TIBET, NANDA PARBAT - ISOLATION CELL: 1 JAN 2013
(AL SAH-HIM, OLIVER)
The first night in the cell, Oliver explored it. No. Sah-him. I'm Sah-him now. He found nothing. It was all stone. A bucket for waste was in one corner. A small water pitcher and a small bowl of gruel by the door. Nothing else. It was silent. There was no light.
It took him some time, but he eventually thought he was going insane. Every moment in his life passed before his eyes. Every moment he had ever thought about doing something wrong. Cheating on some tests. Telling a lie. Getting his dad to frown. It was all played back in technicolor. All his flaws beat against the inside of his skull.
It was some relief that the door opened and Sikiyn beckoned him out. He gave him two sticks he called escrima sticks. They looked like the ones Slade used to teach him to fight. Then Sikiyn proceeded to beat the hell out of him with them. What little he had learned from Slade he used, but it wasn't enough. Sikiyn was relentless. Beaten and bruised, Sikiyn took him back to his cell and locked him back in the silence and the dark.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT - ISOLATION CELLS: 8 JAN 2013
(AL ALDIRE, LAUREL)
The first week was brutal. Aldire was always cold. It was dark and hard in the cell. She never found a comfortable position on the stone. But she eventually felt faster with the escrima sticks. She received fewer bruises each training session.
When her bruises healed, her nightmares came back. She decided to use her new skills on her demons. She attacked Ivo with the escrima sticks and left him bruised and bloody on the floor. She spat on his broken face in her dreams. Her nightmares were less after that. She was learning to fight. To defend herself. She would not be defenseless against another monster like Ivo again.
The isolation was hard. She was sure that is why she was always cold. She needed the comfort of warm bodies next to her. To hold the nightmares at bay. To reassure her that this was real. That she was real. That Ivo was dead. That she was learning to replace evil with death. She wanted Oliver and Thomas. No. Sah-him and Qadar. She needed them. They were her lifeline. Her sanity.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT - ISOLATION CELLS: 15 JAN 2013
(QADAR, THOMAS)
Two weeks had passed. Qadar was feeling secure in the routine. Yes, he was alone in his cell. Locked away in isolation was not new to him. He was getting better at the training. He comforted himself with the knowledge that Sah-him and Aldire were also going through this. If they can do it, I can do it.
Then everything changed. Sikiyn took him to a new room. He hung in manacles from the ceiling with his feet barely able to touch the floor.
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional," Sikiyn told him. "Repeat."
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional," Qadar repeated dutifully.
Then Sikiyn started to beat him with the escrima sticks. "Repeat," Sikiyn said again.
Qadar winced as he was beaten over and over again. "Pain… is… inevitable… Suffering… is… optional… Pain… is inevitable… Suffering is… optional," Qadar repeated as he was being beaten.
Qadar didn't know for how long Sikiyn continued to beat him. But he repeated the phrase for as long as he was being struck. He incorporated the phrase into locking away his pain. Eventually, Sikiyn let him down and led him back to his cell.
Qadar continued to repeat the phrase even as he lay down painfully in the dark on the stone floor.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT - ISOLATION CELLS: 22 JAN 2013
(AL SAH-HIM, OLIVER)
They stopped leaving the cell dark. The cell was lit with torches. Instead of the constant darkness, he was in constant light. His minders refused to let him sleep. He was soaked in water each time he fell asleep. The escrima sticks had been replaced with a Kenpo bamboo sword. This resulted in a new series of bruises to go with his new training.
Kenpo was no less brutal than escrima. Especially when you take into account the fact that I am now being beaten with a two-handed stick as opposed to a one-handed stick. But the lessons are similar. I have gotten faster. I can defend myself from most of the attacks Sikiyn has thrown at me. I am getting better at anticipating his attacks. My bruises are less.
I miss the others. I can almost feel them close to me. I need them like I need air.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT - ISOLATION CELLS: 29 JAN 2013
(AL ALDIRE, LAUREL)
Their Kenpo training was brief. It only lasted a week. Then the Kenpo swords were traded for real swords. Aldire could tell that there were no good comparisons to the Kenpo swords. Real swords behaved differently enough to warrant the change. Kenpo gave them the basics. But after that, she agreed, they needed to use the real thing.
I am feeling much more confident using the sword than I was when I started Kenpo two weeks ago. My strength and endurance have improved. My speed and reflexes have improved. I am doing better. I know I will only get better with more training and practice.
Aldire and Sikiyn had been practicing for twenty minutes when three men approached. Two of them were wearing League uniforms. The third was bound and forced to his knees.
"Sikiyn, we are sorry to interrupt, but this evil one has broken the perimeter," one of the League men stated.
Sikiyn turned to her. "Aldire, you may replace his evil with death," he told her.
"Of course, Teacher," Aldire replied. She only had eyes for the form of Ivo before her.
Ivo looked up at her and sneered. "Laurel, there is no way you have the guts to kill me. You no-good whore. You were a crappy fuck. I should have given you to the crew," he snarled at her.
Aldire's eyes flashed and she quickly slashed his throat. She stabbed his chest and pulled out her sword, before stabbing him a second time in the groin. She wanted him dead. She was not weak any longer. She didn't have to tolerate his verbal abuses. Ivo's body slowly collapsed as she pulled out her sword the second time.
"Well done, Aldire," Sikiyn replied.
Aldire blinked and Ivo was gone. In his place was a different man. This man was still bound and in the same clothes, but he looked nothing like Ivo. She looked over at Sikiyn in confusion.
"Your food and water have been tainted with a drug over the past week. It allows you to see parts of your past life. Some people see friends. Some see enemies. What did you see?" Sikiyn asked.
"I saw an evil man. One long dead," Aldire replied in quiet contemplation.
"Then your response was appropriate," Sikiyn replied. "Come. I will take you to your room. Your time of indoctrination is over," he told her.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT - ISOLATION CELLS: 30 JAN 2013
(QADAR, THOMAS)
Qadar liked swords. He moved better with the sword than he had with the Kenpo bamboo sword. Qadar could easily picture the escrima sticks being used to practice short sword maneuvers, even if they had their advantages. He seemed to be a natural with them. With only one week, Sikiyn dramatically increased the pace of the sword work.
Qadar and Sikiyn seemed to have hardly begun their practice round when three men suddenly walked up to them. Two in League uniforms and one bound.
"Sikiyn, we are sorry to interrupt, but this evil one has broken the perimeter," one of the League men stated.
Sikiyn turned to her. "Qadar, you may replace his evil with death," he said easily.
"As you wish, Sikiyn," Qadar replied. He could only see his father in the bound man. A quiet rage filled him.
Malcolm looked haughtily at Qadar. "Is this what you have been doing with yourself? Playing at being dead and pretending to be a medieval knight? Seriously, you're a Merlyn. Have some damn pride," he snarled at him. "You can't even play dead properly. You are a complete and utter failure. You are a waste of my time and fortune."
Qadar had enough of his father's spiteful hate-filled words. "This man broke the perimeter? He was trespassing. His life is forfeit?" Qadar questioned for verification.
"It is, Qadar," the League man agreed.
"Oh, just do it, Tommy," Malcolm taunted. "The wait is getting tedious."
Qadar snarled and stabbed Malcolm in the chest. He pulled out his sword and thrust it back in again. Malcolm's head fell forward and his body slumped forward. Qadar pulled out his sword and Malcolm fell to the ground. Qadar was breathing heavily, trying to gain control of his rage at his father.
"Well done, Qadar," Sikiyn replied.
Qadar blinked and Malcolm was gone. A Hindi-looking man was in his place. Qadar's eyes widened as he stared at the body in shock. I killed a man. Holy shit!
"Your food and water have been tainted with a drug over the past week. It allows you to see parts of your past life. Some people see friends. Some see enemies. What did you see?" Sikiyn asked.
"My father. Malcolm Merlyn. He was taunting me. He told me to kill him," Qadar replied in shock.
"Then your inquiry to the guards was correct. His life would have been forfeit," Sikiyn replied. "Come. I will take you to your room. Your time of indoctrination is over," he told him.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT - ISOLATION CELLS: 30 JAN 2013
(AL SAH-HIM, OLIVER)
The League seemed to be attempting to train him to adapt to every weapon. Sah-him threw himself into learning everything he could about each weapon they employed against him. He was frequently able to deceive his current instructor by converting techniques from one type of weapon to another.
That gave Sah-him the chance to bruise the old warriors back for the many times he had worn his teachers' bruises. They were far from even. But one or two, here and there, made a difference to Sah-him.
His practice barely started when they were interrupted by three men. Two wore a League uniform and one man was bound.
"Sikiyn, we are sorry to interrupt, but this evil one has broken the perimeter," one of the League men stated.
Sikiyn turned to her. "Sah-him, you may replace his evil with death," he said easily.
"Are you sure he is real, Sikiyn?" Sah-him asked. The last time he had seen Fyers, he was dead and half a world away. Is his ghost haunting me?
"He is real enough, Sah-him," Sikiyn replied.
"Mr. Queen, I see that you were able to make it off that miserable little island," Fyers told him. "I am surprised to find you here."
"As I am you," Sah-him replied. "I guess I will have to make sure you are dead this time. You two may want to step away from him." He told the two League men holding Fyers.
They took large steps away from him. Sah-him braced his arm and slashed through the neck of Fyers with his sword. It wasn't a clean cut. The blade caught on his vertebrae. Fyers choked and dropped to his knees. Sah-him pulled his blade back and slashed the neck from the other side. This time freeing the head. The head rolled away from the body as it fell to the ground. Sah-him nodded in satisfaction.
"Well done, Sah-him," Sikiyn replied. Beheading someone with a practice blade was difficult.
Sah-him turned to him and nodded then looked back. Fyers was gone. In his place was a different man.
"Your food and water have been tainted with a drug over the past week. It allows you to see parts of your past life. Some people see friends. Some see enemies. What did you see?" Sikiyn asked.
"I saw an evil man. One I had already killed," Sah-him replied in contemplation.
"Then your response was appropriate," Sikiyn replied. "Come. I will take you to your room. Your time of indoctrination is over," he told him.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
USA, WA, STARLING CITY - QUEEN MANOR: 31 JAN 2013
"Mom?" Thea asked as she crept into the darkened master bedroom in the manor. "Are you in here?" she asked a little louder.
"I'm not feeling well, Thea," Moira replied quietly in the dark.
If Moira was being honest, she was depressed. Her anger at Malcolm had fled, but then the holidays had come. Sara had tried to put on a brave face for Thea. She had forced Quentin and Moira to partake in some of the holiday celebrations. Small though they were. But with them brought a wealth of happier memories of her husband and her boys.
Since the holidays, Moira barely ate. Sleep never came. She had no energy to do anything. Everything she did felt slow and hard. She had no interest in moving from her bed.
"Are you sure mom?" Thea asked anxiously. "I can call the doctor if you are. I was hoping you could come to my archery tournament. But…"
"I don't think I can make it, Thea. Perhaps, Sara can go," Moira suggested.
"Yeah," Thea replied. "She said she would. She doesn't even have to miss any classes or anything."
"She is such a good friend," Moira replied. "I'm glad you have her."
"I… Get better, Mom," Thea said instead. "Get better."
Moira smiled blandly at Thea before she closed her eyes.
Thea sighed in sadness. I'm losing my mom too. It's just fair.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
