A shocking sacrifice.
The room was sterile and foreboding, the walls lined with cables and monitors. Two chairs sat in the center, metallic restraints glinting under the fluorescent lights. Violet and Dash were dragged into the room by emotionless guards, their collars buzzing faintly as a reminder of their suppressed powers.
Dash glanced at Violet as they were forced into the chairs. She looked pale and gaunt, her eyes still empty and now red for the sleepless nights. Since that day, he has heard Vi whimper and even waking up screaming in her sleep, but no matter how many times he asks she brushes it up saying with the same fake smile that she was fine. He clenched his jaw, his fists trembling with restrained anger. They've done enough to her.
The lead scientist, his face devoid of emotion, stepped forward. "This test will assess your resilience to sustained electrical currents under emotional duress. Previously, your performance has been… lacking. Today, we'll test a new variable."
He gestured to the chairs as the guards attached electrodes to their temples, wrists, and ankles. Violet winced as the cold metal pressed against her skin.
"Here are the parameters," the scientist continued. "You have to endure up to ten minutes of sustained electrical current. However, your times are cumulative. If one of you lasts longer, the other will require less. For example, if Subject A001 lasts eight minutes, Subject A002 will need only two. Together, you must total ten minutes. Let us see how far your bond will push you."
Dash's stomach churned. He remembered the last time they'd shocked him—it was unbearable, every nerve in his body screaming for it to stop. He'd barely lasted three minutes before he blacked out. Violet had suffered the same fate, her screams haunting him for days.
The scientist's voice cut through his thoughts. "We will begin with Subject A001."
"No!" Violet protested, her voice trembling. "Start with me instead!"
The scientist raised a hand to silence her. "You have no say in the order, Subject A002."
Dash looked at her, his face a mask of false bravado. "It's okay, Vi," he said, forcing a grin. "I've got this."
The first jolt hit, and his body jerked violently against the restraints. Violet flinched, tears springing to her eyes as she watched him convulse.
"Dash!" Violet screamed, her own body straining against her bonds as though she could somehow shield him.
"I'm... fine!" he gritted out, his voice strained but laced with defiance.
The shocks came in waves, each one stronger than the last. Dash's muscles tensed, his breathing ragged, but he refused to scream. His mind raced, clinging to any thought that could anchor him through the pain.
He thought of Violet's trembling hands pushing the bread into his mouth. He remembered the hunger in her eyes and the selflessness in her voice when she told him to eat. She always sacrifices for me. This time, it's my turn.
"Two minutes," the scientist announced.
Dash's vision blurred, sweat pouring down his face as the second shock hit. His chest felt like it was being crushed, every nerve screaming in agony. He wanted to yell, to beg them to stop, but he clenched his jaw, forcing the words back down. He could hear Violet begging him to stop, but it sounded muffled, like he was underwater. I can do this. I have to.
"Four minutes"
He gritted his teeth to the point he thought they would break, his body writhing under the force of the shock. His entire being felt like it was splitting apart, but he held on, forcing himself to endure, to protect her. He gripped the arms of the chair, his knuckles white as the shock surged through him.
Violet's sobs filled the room. "Dash, please! Stop! You don't have to do this!"
Another memory fueled him. The time Violet had scraped together the crumbs of their rations to make a "birthday cake" for him, singing softly as tears glistened in her eyes. He remembered how she'd smiled, trying to make it feel normal, even when her face was pale from exhaustion.
"Six minutes"
Dash felt like he was on fire, his muscles locking so tightly he thought they might tear. Blood trickled from his nose, dripping onto his shirt, but he refused to stop.
"Dash, stop… please! Let me take the rest!" Violet's heart shattered as she realized what he was doing.
He saw her when they dragged her into the cell after hours of torture, her hands bloody and nails ripped away. Her hollow, empty eyes and the fake smile she gave him before collapsing into his arms.
Another jolt came, and this time, he couldn't stop the scream. It ripped from his throat, raw and desperate, echoing off the walls.
"Eight minutes."
The scientist's voice cut through the haze. "He is at his limit." he said looking at Dash's vitals.
Dash gritted his teeth, shaking his head weakly. "I'm… not… done…"
"DASH, PLEASE!" Violet sobbed, her voice raw. "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE! I CAN TAKE THE REST! IT'S JUST TWO MINUTES!"
"I told… you… I am… not... letting them... hurt you… again" he managed to choke out.
His heart felt like it might explode, each beat a thunderous, irregular rhythm. The pain was unbearable, searing through him like a thousand knives. His body sagged against the chair, but he refused to let the darkness creeping at the edges of his vision take him.
"Ten minutes."
By the time the machine shut off, Dash was barely conscious. His body hung limp in the chair, his head lolling forward, sweat and blood dripping onto the floor. The room was silent except for Violet's sobs.
"Remarkable," the scientist said, his tone devoid of emotion. "Subject A001 endured the full duration. No further testing is required for Subject A002."
The guards unstrapped Dash and dropped him to the floor. Violet screamed, as the guard removed her restraints and ran toward her brother. "Dash! Dash!"
He looked up at her weakly. "I'm… fine" He said, mirroring the same words she always tells him.
Violet cradles him, her tears dripping onto his face. "You're not fine," she sobbed, pressing her forehead to his. "Why did you do that? Why didn't you let me—"
"I couldn't," he whispered, cutting her off. "Not… after everything …you've done for me."
"Dash…" She whispered.
"Ten minutes," he muttered. "Beat that." Dash managed a small, weary smile.
Violet let out a choked laugh, tears streaming down her face. "You're an idiot,"
Dash noticed it, even in his haze of pain. A small glimmer of life returned to her hollow eyes as she shook her head at his attempt to lighten up the mood.
That told him that it was worth it, every second of agony he'd endured.
