Roach was firmly strapped down to a chair, watching wide-eyes as Nate and Gonzalo hovered over Ghost, who had quieted down from what Roach could only call the shattering of any sanity Ghost had left. It left an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't realized that ten days had passed between when he saw Ghost lower himself into a box and now. Roach figured they were both struggling in their own way, what with Ghost and his intense claustrophobia. Roach called to mind the time Meat and Worm had coerced him into tricking Ghost into the supply closet and the ensuing panic attack that ended up with Ghost on a week-long mental break from overseeing training. The box was worse. And Gonzalo had turned Roach into his personal drug tester. The latest development ended up making him aware of anything and any order given. The overwhelming, terrifying feeling of his body moving of it's own accord and just being a passenger to whatever deeds-
"Nate, what do you recommend?" Gonzalo asked, snapping Roach out of his thoughts.
"I mean you bring the man to me almost completely off his rocker now, not to mention severely wounded from bullet wounds you yourself inflicted last month. I dunno what to tell you sir other than let the man die like he wanted." Nate scratched his head. "At least I think I heard him say that? Hard to tell with the...manic screaming. Aza, how is the other one?"
"In state of shock, other than that physically fine." Roach didn't even realize the other man had been looking him over, too hyper focused on Ghost and his well being.
"Right. So what now? The latest trials on that one-" Nate motioned to Roach offhandedly, "-has progressed the compound exponentially. But it's not what we need. Unless you have something in mind for changing the effects to where they aren't a mute, or use that to whatever. But the research we have now I have on the server with my own notes that you can look at."
"What of Simon."
"Keep him sedated? I'm not a psychologist. His mood may be off. " Nate shrugged, scratching the back of his head as he slapped a hand on Ghost's chest. "But physically he's fine, old wounds aside." Gonzalo frowned slightly.
"This does offset later plans. There is a time frame for Simon, but for Gary I do have further use for him." Gonzalo pulled out his handgun, flicking the safety on and off.
"Testing, right?" Nate asked, looking to Roach. Roach blinked slowly at him, trying to keep his breathing steady as they conversed. The more he heard, the more he didn't like how these next two weeks were going.
"Hm, yes. Although Gary would have to be put on watch. I do not doubt nor question his actions afterwards." Gonzalo stared at a point on the wall as he thought. Roach frowned. Watch? Like they weren't already?
Without any other conversation, Gonzalo motioned behind Roach, Jorge and Juan coming from behind him. Jorge picked up Ghost easily, throwing him over his shoulder while Juan undid his restraints. Roach was led out silently, giving a quick side glance to Gonzalo, who had started to eject and reload the same magazine into his gun. He followed behind Jorge. Juan had to push him forward a few times to keep up. When they eventually stopped at the cell they had been in before, Jorge had no issues with casually tossing Ghost in without a second thought, Juan shoving Roach in until he tripped over Ghost's legs. They laughed before the cell shut. Roach continued to lay where he fell, sighing heavily. After a few moments he rolled onto his back, listening to Ghost's breathing.
"Ok, Sanderson. Take stock of what's going on." Roach mumbled to himself. "You got two people that know of your location that can deliver and has already hopefully delivered that intel to your CO. You have a deranged drug lord's more deranged whore-son hellbent on killing your XO involving you yourself in his weird kill fetish thing." Roach got up slowly, holding Ghost's shoulders and trying to move him to one of the walls. "Afterwards I'm to be put on a watch of a kind, I can only assume suicide watch. They want to use me for further testing for who knows how long, but hopefully rescue is achieved by then." Roach paused, grunting as he pulled Ghost. Was he getting that weak or was Ghost still that heavy even with the amount of weight the two of them lost while they were there? "If not before Ghost's presumed KIA status then after. Although knowing the captain he wouldn't wait past the supposed deadline." Roach huffed out as he managed to prop Ghost in a weirdly slanted sitting position, his head hanging lowly with his hair curtaining his eyes much more than it had before. Roach sighed, going to sit next to Ghost and pulling until Ghost's head was on his lap. At least one of them could be comfortable. His thoughts kept racing as they sat.
"Dude, I could really use some kinda bullshit wisdom from you now." Roach mumbled after a while. He looked down to Ghost, whose face was completely lax. Roach never really saw him so relaxed, but rather constantly stressed. He could never see Ghost's face before their capture, but his posture almost screamed constant alert and stress with a strange mix of precision and having all of his shit handled. But the past almost two months have changed how Ghost held himself, more reserved, withdrawn, no where near holding his shit like he used to. It was a scary sight, to see Ghost almost collapse in on himself. Roach frowned at the thought before he took a deep breath. "Recap, part two. There are two drugs given to us, almost tailored to each. The one Ghost receives is like the one I first encountered. Immediate...erasure, I guess? Of sense of self. Followed by intense pain. Depending on dosage is how long you are not aware. During loss of senses you are open to suggestion and fulfillment of suggestion leads to...euphoria? If you could call it that. During this you are not aware of anything but suggestions. The one they've been testing on me..." Roach let out a long suffering sigh. "Why am I doing this to myself? No, think clinically. Organize and assess each instance. Compartmentalize each issue so you can assess thoroughly."
"...doesn't...really help...the way you're doin' it…" Roach jumped, not anticipating Ghost to awaken anytime soon.
"OK, I get that, but it sorta helps." Roach frowned slightly, moving Ghost's hair off his eyes to see if they were open. They weren't, and Roach started to doubt Ghost had actually spoken.
"Helps with...what?" Ghost's voice was barely above a whisper, and Roach had to strain to hear it. His frown deepened at the question.
"Keepin' me sane so I can help you keep sane."
"Help...me? ...sane? ...why?" Ghost paused between each word, almost as if he was thinking too hard to speak, or if he was sorting too many thoughts.
"Well, help because you need it, sane because it wouldn't help me to listen to my commanding officer go nuts in front of me, and same reason as before." Roach listed off, trying to keep it light but he couldn't hide the worry.
"...stop...talking...no help…" Ghost managed to force out, his voice cracking. With surprising speed, Ghost managed to sit up, curling up until his forehead sat on top of his knees, folding his arms around him to cover any peripheral views. Roach leaned back, hesitating.
"What do you mean, 'no help'? Ghost, you with me?" Roach saw Ghost manage to shake his head slightly, almost looking like he was trying to curl into himself more.
"No...stop it...shut up...not real…" Ghost repeated the phrase as Roach sat in disbelief. This was...this was bad.
"Ghost, dude. You need to look at me." Roach tried to put a hand on Ghost's shoulder, but the moment he made contact Ghost acted like he was struck by lightning, his entire body jolting before he started to mumble the same phrase faster. "H-hey, Ghost? Can you-"
"Stop...voice...stop...not real…voice..."
"The...the 'voice'? What voice, Ghost?" Ghost froze, body going still and Roach could swear he stopped breathing too. "What voice are you hearing?"
"...voice...talking...not real...not...not Roach...lies…" Ghost's voice fell flat. Roach felt like the floor left him. What kind of hallucinations was he being subjected to? "No...no help...no friends...alone…"
"Ghost? You're not alone dude. C'mon look up at me." Roach's voice shook as he reached for his shoulder again. Ghost flinched, not as harshly as before, before his body started to shake harder. "And you have friends besides me. I think MacTavish would almost court martial you for saying you and he weren't friends."
"...can't..."
"You just say 'can't'? 'Can't' what?"
"...'fraid."
"Of what?" Roach asked, trying hard to keep the shake out of his voice. Ghost seemed to take a deep breath, silence hanging heavily as Roach tried to wait with as much patience as he could muster.
"That...you're not...really here…" Ghost's shoulders shook again. "...decay...not real…"
"You're not making any sense Ghost. I want to help you but I need you to look at me." Roach moved slowly until he was kneeling in front of Ghost, trying to gently touch Ghost's arms. He was still shaking, but Roach was hoping he was seeing Ghost slowly stop the more he spoke. "I'm not...decaying? And I'm perfectly real. You can check on your own if you want." They sat for a while longer, Roach not moving and making sure to keep his breathing slow and even. It felt like a few hours had passed before Ghost moved one arm slowly. Roach waited for the other arm to move, but after a few minutes of not moving, he tilted his head in confusion. "Dude? You gonna look up?" Ghost shook his head, otherwise not moving.
At this point, Roach gave a long sigh, getting up to move to the opposite wall. He leaned against it, crossing his arms as he watched Ghost's lack of reaction.
"You're not in the box anymore. In fact you're in the same room we've been in almost two months now. I wish you would open your eyes and just believe me."
"...real? ...here...real?"
"I mean yeah, I've been trying to tell you for a while now." Roach grumbled. He rolled his eyes before sliding down to sit down cross-legged. Roach watched Ghost for a moment before he tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. He shouldn't be mad, but this was something he wasn't equipped to see or deal with. To be fair, neither was Ghost, by the looks of it. After a few minutes he could himself drifting off into sleep, eyes closing longer with each blink. "Just wake me up when you feel like it." Roach mumbled, eyes eventually falling shut.
It's been a minute, isn't it?
well, not as long as it usually is.
I started a new job and am finishing training (its nothing glamourous im working at Whataburger) so I wanted to get another few chapters out before we work at a new store opening. See how that goes. Ugh...it's been a wild month of training.
But in terms of how my writing is these past few chapters, let me know how it is. Too weird, too...whatever the fuck. It's been a bad few days for the guys. But it's also almost over for them. Bad? Good? I mean they're inching closer to death's door. And only two weeks' time limit. Shit's gonna be sad af. Maybe. I have a general outline of what's gonna happen but the full details? nah not anymore
Sorry it's been a long day and my bodys telling me to shut up but brain said no fuck u keep typing out shit
ahh...yeah. lemme kno
Also super proud of how I used the two word title as chapter titles now. Either as a phrase or just the word and it STILL works
sorry just...really proud of that one