Prisoner 836

[untilyousubmit]

The Spire pulsed. Not audibly, though he perceived it as something like sound. A humming that rose and fell, unchanging and unending. It was as familiar to him as his own heartbeat. It pulsed, and the shards embedded within him pulsed in time with its power.

Not today. Lucien's searing anger had knocked him out of time--no, revealed how imperfect he had been. The pulsing in his head was fitful now, still sparking with pain. He had begged for mercy, but they both knew how meaningless those words were. His contrition was total, as was expected of him. There could be no other way. He would do everything that was necessary to correct his mistake.

And he would not show how much he hurt, as he made his way to the cell. Prisoner #836 was kept isolated from the prison proper. In the other cells, there were many others, restrained for many reasons. Dangerous but valuable individuals, who posed a threat to the Spire but could not yet be killed. Disobedient guards, left to wonder when they would next be dragged to the torture chamber by the more compliant ones. For some, he did not know the reason why they languished there, only that Lucien wished it.

And then there was Prisoner #836. 836 should have been so simple--he had captured many others like him. He knew something, and retrieving the information should have been simple. All the others had broken without the collar ever activating once.

But 836 was stubborn. At first, it simply seemed like insolence. So many claimed to not remember. He had left the matter to the torturers. He had so much else to attend to.

That had been a mistake. A careless one. Whatever slow progress had been made in retrieving 836's memories had been obliterated in an instant, when the man had been found outside his cell. 836 had been dragged to a new, isolated ward, but the damage was done. A failure he now suffered for.

The ward guards straightened up as he approached. "The new prisoner. Where is he?" If they heard how raw his voice was beneath the deep distortion, they showed no sign of it.

"This way, sir." Guard 427 led him through the twisting passages in silence toward... an open cell door.

He grabbed the 427 by the collar, blank white eyes staring into terrified blue. "Sound the alarm. Find him. And when you have done so--lock yourselves in empty cells. I will deal with you later." He gave the collar one last yank as he let go, sending the man tumbling to his knees. He was already striding away, the sharp sting of his failure burning deeper into him. He had to find 836. In this moment, nothing else mattered.

Comments

[circuitcontrol]

"I'll thank him for being a failure!"

He squirmed harder, a note of desperation in his voice. They may have already fixed what made the previous collar malfunction, and he probably wouldn't be able to tamper with this new one. He didn't want it on, he didn't. He wanted to work. "That thing won't help you! I won't submit!"

[untilyousubmit]

He paused, taking his gloved hand and driving his thumb into a pressure point in the prisoner's back. "He is your master," he said, voice low and dangerous. "And you will be broken. That you resist now does not make you different from any other."

He put the collar around the 836's neck, snapping it shut.

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Luca yelped as pain shot through the pressure point, and it was enough to make him stop struggling, at least for the moment. The collar closed around his neck, and he knew he'd lost this particular fight. He reached up cautiously to feel it.

"He's not." He waited for the pain of talking back, for the punishment the collar always gave him. He waited for the loss of focus, of memories. Three, four, five... It didn't come. "He's not."

[untilyousubmit]

"And there is nothing I will find more satisfying than to correct you." He reached for the leash he'd brought with him, a reinforced cord. It was thick enough to hold back a lunging beast, and it would be more than sufficient to drag the prisoner to a new cell. It locked onto the collar, and the sharp metallic sound sent a thrill through him, despite all that he had suffered today.

[circuitcontrol]

The sound of the leash snapping in place made him flinch. He wanted to rip it off, but he knew he wouldn't be able to, not without tools. So the old collar was gone, and the Commandant was trying something new instead. He was still in trouble. At least he'd keep what was left of his memories.

He pulled his hands away, exhaustion starting to wear at his will to fight. He had to be smart about it, anyway, wait for the right moment again.

"I'll never give you that satisfaction."

[untilyousubmit]

"You have no choice, now." He pressed down harder on the prisoner's back, giving him less room to breathe. "And you never will again."

[circuitcontrol]

Any reply he'd wanted to give was cut off. He pushed against the floor to give himself room to breathe, trying to fill his lungs, but his strength was no match for the Commandant at all. Now he was really starting to get scared. He could still breathe, this wouldn't kill him, but it was enough to leave him a little dizzy.

[untilyousubmit]

He took a moment to savor that quiet struggle, feeling the prisoner squirm beneath him. He wouldn't let 836 fall unconscious--too dangerous. He'd soon recover, and return to his insolence. But for just this moment, his pointless babbling was silenced. Perhaps he'd gag 836 later.

He didn't relent until the struggling lost its conscious intent, becoming more of a reflexive spasm that signaled the man was truly in distress. Only then did he release the pressure, standing up with the leash in hand.

[circuitcontrol]

Luca gasped for air. His adrenaline was high now, but his lungs were screaming, and he felt so dizzy it was nauseating. For a few moments he didn't even try to get up. He just curled in on himself, and tried to breathe. He was barely aware he was whimpering.

He had to get up. He had a feeling he'd be dragged if he didn't. He pushed onto his knees, pausing there for a second as another wave of dizziness passed through him. He got onto one knee. Two feet. He glared at the wall as he finally got up, but didn't say anything, and he didn't reach up to try to remove to leash, even though he wanted to.

[untilyousubmit]

He gave the leash a tug before he could feel safe and stable, pulling him along at a pace just fast enough to keep him off-balance. His own body protested as well, muscles still twitching and cramping from the shock, but he ignored it. Once he had the prisoner returned to a cell and fully secured, he could rest a moment.

[circuitcontrol]

Luca stumbled and nearly fell, hurrying forward to avoid being dragged along. It wasn't helping with that lightheaded feeling, even though his lungs were full of air now. He was breathing hard.

"Slow down! I'm coming." He hated this guy so much. He was glaring daggers at his back as he half-ran after him, trying to ignore how humiliating this was. He should plan his revenge instead. He'd get back at him, sooner or later. He was the smart one after all.

[untilyousubmit]

"You have not earned that comfort," he replied.

Through the twisting corridors he dragged the prisoner, to yet another cell, not far from the torture chambers. There was a rack here, heavy restraints hanging expectantly open. If the prisoner could slice the locks on the doors, then he would simply be kept from reaching them.

[circuitcontrol]

Luca did his best to keep up, but his own strides weren’t long enough, and he fell to his knees twice, having to scramble to get back on his feet before he was really dragged along. His legs hurt. He wanted to stop, to sit. He almost wanted back in his cell, just for a short break.

Except he quickly changed his mind about that when he saw the cell he was being brought to. He spotted the rack, and immediately tried to step backwards again. He grabbed onto the door of the cell with both hands. “Look, just bring me back to my other cell.”

[untilyousubmit]

"Do not resist," he snarled, playing out the leash just enough for the prisoner to feel like he was making progress, and then taking it in both hands and yanking it forward. The leash was not a common punishment here, not when the collars were so versatile--but he had still made good use of it before, and he would now.

[circuitcontrol]

Luca yelped as he let go of the door, reaching for the leash to protect his neck. It felt like it would snap, or he'd choke, and instinct kicked in, causing him to stumble and this time fall straight on his ass. He winced, but didn't let go of the leash. "Anyone would."

[untilyousubmit]

"No. Submission comes easily to some." he dragged the man up and tossed him against the rack. "Those who understand their place." He appreciated those ones. They had a natural instinct towards seeking an ideal life. One that he helped them achieve.

And then there were the rest.

[circuitcontrol]

"Well, I'm not that weak!" Luca struggled. He squirmed, pushed against the rack, tried to kick the Commandant, but while he might have strong willpower, his physical strength was not that impressive. He was panicking now, his breath coming fast as he fought back. Once he was strapped in, who knew what this guy would do to him.

[untilyousubmit]

"No. You are far more pathetic." A punch to the stomach winded the 836 for long enough to press him against the rack, snapping one of the restraints shut across the prisoner's chest. It was still loose for the moment, giving the smaller man enough room to squirm more, but he would adjust it to his liking soon enough.

"You will learn. Perhaps you will even enjoy it one day, if I permit it."

[circuitcontrol]

The punch left him gasping, eyes watering a little. It hurt. He tried to wrap his arms around his midriff to protect it, but that left other parts of him exposed, and it didn't matter when he was already being restrained. He couched, and tried to squirm again. He wanted to reach for the strap and try to undo it, but he knew that would just get him hit again.

"No one would enjoy this. This won't make me tell you anything."

[untilyousubmit]

"Your life has left you so ignorant." And yet, the prisoner didn't reach for the restraint. No matter how he protested, he was learning. "And now it is my duty to educate you." He'd leave the hands for now, and see to one of the restraints on the prisoner's legs, watchful for any further attempt to struggle. If 836 attempted to hit him, his punishment would only become more severe.

[circuitcontrol]

"You can't say that when you made me forget most of my life." He wanted to keep struggling. He wanted to hurt him. And if he didn't, it wasn't that he was learning, he was just smart enough to bide his time. He was resigning himself to what would happen, hoping to just get through it so he could find a chance to escape and get back at the Commandant later.

[untilyousubmit]

The restraint snapped shut, but he could take no satisfaction from it this time. He had failed, a deficiency he was now forced to acknowledge. He had been reckless, and his master's plans had suffered for it.

"Your life is not required. Only your work." He snapped the other ankle restraint into place.

[circuitcontrol]

"Except you're not letting me work." If he couldn't fight back physically, he'd have to argue twice as much to make up for it. And he was trying to take his mind off what was happening. It was a claustrophobic feeling, being restrained like this, his stomach sinking with each strap closing shut. "You want my brain, and you can't have that."

[untilyousubmit]

"Would you truly build it for him?" No. Not now, at least, permitting the prisoner access to tools and materials would end in disaster. If he remembered anything else of his skills, then 836 would use the opportunity to stage another escape attempt, or sabotage the Spire. And he personally did not have the expertise to oversee the work--he would have to reassign a specialist from the Spire construction, and there were none to spare at the moment.

"You must first be made to understand your failings, before you can be trusted." He grasped one of the prisoner's wrists in his ungloved hand, clawtips pressing against skin as he pulled the arm straight to strap it down.

[circuitcontrol]

“I’d build it.” But not for him. If he could earn some trust though, it might be worth behaving for a while, just so he’d be more likely to find a way to escape later. He’d have to consider playing docile. Although even letting this guy think he was getting his way wouldn’t sit right with him.

He tilted his head to watch the last restraints snap shut around his wrists. He couldn’t help the way his hand jerked slightly at the sensation of claws against sensitive skin, but he wasn’t fighting it.