Rexton knocked Cassius's hand out of the away. He pressed his own gun against Cassius's temple and dug the barrel in deep to make sure Cassius realized what kind of situation he was in.
Cassius looked up, expecting maybe anger and a hit to the face, but he was met with silence and a look of pure disgust. It was interesting though he guessed it shouldn't be that much of a surprise on the general's part. Cassius had shown defiance, breaking the trust he'd built. But it wasn't all on him in the end. Iza would be to blame as well as Cassius was. He could see it now.
Iza being punished for his lazy training. It wasn't the victory he'd been wanting, but it was something.
When he looked right at Rexton, he saw everything he worked for crumbling down. It was expected, really. Nothing good ever came from the choices he made. The world had proven time and time again that it wasn't working in his favor. He was a Mekiah. No matter what he did, he would never escape that one fact.
He didn't want to face what was going to come next. He didn't think he would be able to survive it. The things they would do to him would break him. After they did, they would throw him away and go on to the next Mekiah.
If they could find one, that is. If they couldn't, they would beat him over and over until he was a mindless mutt that actually obeyed.
They bred military Mekiah for this purpose. To serve Xtavia and that was it. Beyond this world, maybe he could have had a chance. But this was his fate.
Death was the next best thing.
The gun shook Cassius's hand.
Rexton pressed the barrel harder into Cassius's head. "Drop it."
Cassius narrowed his eyes. "Or what?"
He was met with a bored look. Rexton's expression didn't flicker.
"You kill me, you're never going to get out of here."
The words made him pause. A brief second he was never going to get back. His eyes widened, taken aback at how truthful those words seemed to be for the first time coming from Rexton.
The gun was heavy, a brick in his hand. His finger brushed the trigger. He was back from, pulled away from the puzzling moment that flashed between them.
It wouldn't be hard to do what Rexton threatened, but it would be by his own hand. He could shoot him. Kill him now and face the consequences later. But Rexton's words wouldn't leave him alone. It was true. He'd be giving it all up in a split second just so he could die with the last word.
They needed him to continue their work, but they didn't need him thinking. They didn't need him completely. All they needed was his magic. They would care some if he died, but he was a tool that could be eventually replaced. If he stopped trying now, he wouldn't have another chance.
From the beginning, he'd been working toward some kind of escape. Whether it was to escape the base or Xtavia entirely, there was going to be an end to this story no matter what happened. He could die here or he could die later on, but the two were equal in the end. It made it so much harder to choose between the two.
On by his hand or by the a man who he knew nothing about. He was starting to fully realize what he needed to do to be truly free of this chaotic world he was born into. It was just a scratch upon the surface, a mere speck floating above the source. He needed to go deeper than he'd planned, broaden his scope and become drastically different than who he was today.
He'd lost. But there was always tomorrow. For as long as he was alive.
The gun was useless to him now. Just another reminder of his failure. He'd tried, that's all he had to latch onto. He loosened his grip and the gun fell to the floor.
Rexton kept his gun pressed to Cassius's head. The cool metal brought him out of his thoughts. They hadn't broken eye contact, their eyes blazing into each others'.
There were so many things Cassius wanted to do to him. Cut his throat, smash his head in, desecrate his body until there was no telling who he use to be. The thoughts weren't of a man nor a monster they called him. He was no longer human, no longer a man this society could hold down by the constructs they built. That was the moment he swore he would let himself be chained like an animal. Only because he saw freedom in being caged.
He pursed his lips. A wad of spit built in his mouth.
He spat at Rexton's shoes. Polished black leather was soiled by the stringy spit. Cassius admired his work. It was art in its simplest forms. He felt nothing but glee. If he didn't get joy out of this now, he doubted he would get another chance.
Rexton smacked him across the face with the butt of his gun. Cassius was knocked to his side, jaw throbbing from the blow. By the morning, he would have another bruise to go along with the cut on his lip and the injuries he'd endured from his escape attempt.
He wiped his mouth of the leftover spit that didn't make it on Rexton's shoes.
He let out a breathless laugh. "Either your arm is getting weak or I'm getting used to you beating me."
Rexton holstered his gun. He kicked the one on the ground toward the soldiers. His eyes never left Cassius's.
"Do us both a favor and pull yourself together. I have better things to do than babysit an ill mannered Mekiah." He waved to the soldiers backing him up. Two stepped out from the crowd and grabbed Cassius by the arms, wrenching them behind his back. Two guns were jabbed into both his sides while his hands were locked by magically enhanced cuffs.
The power hungry parasite showed through Rexton's seemingly innocent mask. Whatever the Third Eye was hiding about him had to be the most foul thing Cassius would ever see.
The longer he looked at Rexton the more he was disgusted. It wasn't even the fight between dominance and the beatings he dished out. Those were things Cassius was used to. Generals or figure holding power snapped from time to time. It was their way of holding their power.
Never show weakness when someone stronger can come along and take it from you.
Xtavia was full of power driven people, always looking for another shot of power. It was like a sickness embedded in each Remu and Exteru. A need to overpower and conquer those weaker.
Rexton was the worse case he'd ever seen.
"Take him to General Iza's office," Rexton said. He turned away after giving Cassius a calculating look. Something that crossed between interest and repulsion.
That was the look that made Cassius feel like there was something more to this meeting than checking up on their latest mission. Ever since Rexton came to visit, Cassius had blown everything he'd worked for out of the water. He wasted resources and time for an escape attempt he already knew was doomed.
They yanked him off the ground. One gave him a swift swat on his back to get him moving. He let them guide him in the opposite direction, past the doors, and away from freedom. He fought against looking behind him. They would all know what he was wishing for, begging for, and that was one thing they weren't going to get from him. He wasn't weak. A little stupid and wishful, but not weak.
The more he thought about these past few weeks, the more uneasy he got about Rexton's stay. It seemed logical to say all the troubles started when he arrived, but maybe that wasn't the case. That night when he encountered the demon had set in motion something he couldn't begin to unravel. The Third Eye was hiding secrets and the Veil seemed even more unsafe after the attack.
For the first time, he wished he had the option to tell the Capital about what had happened. They were already suspicious about how he survived the attack in the first place which even he couldn't answer. But if they knew he also survived a demon bite...
It was an after thought now. He needed to think about his next move, what he could do now that he'd landed himself in a heat of trouble. Rexton wasn't like Iza. He didn't like Cassius from the get-go and now he gave him a real reason to hate his guts.
As long as he kept low, maybe he could rebuild the trust he had with Iza. It wasn't much and Iza wasn't anything close to being a friend, but what else could he do? He had nothing to fall back on. No plan B or shit like that. He'd been waiting for the perfect time to make a run for it and he'd jumped the gun when Rexton mentioned the word "transfer". That had been his biggest fear and now it was probably coming true.
They didn't take him to his cell, where he could be at peace and maybe come up with a plan as to what he was going to do next. No, they weren't going to give him that luxury. He knew where he was going and he wasn't going to fight it. He was done screwing things up. There was going to be another time and place.
Right now, he had to go along with this and pretend they had a hold on him when he knew they couldn't do a damn thing to break him down.
But instead of heading to General Iza's office, the soldiers steered him down another hallway.
Cassius glanced curiously around, wondering where they were taking him when General Rexton had been very clear where he wanted them to take Cassius. The blank stares on the solders' faces gave nothing away. Cassius thought about creeping in to reach the Third Eye, but he'd spent away much of his magic. The Dissipator had drained most of it away that he hadn't been able to use.
The cell they dragged him to was familiar. He'd visited it many times when he was younger. He'd been rash, more than he was now, and had ended up here to be punished for the things he did.
Maybe his old luck was coming back to him. He would be find though. No matter what happened, no matter where his mind would take him once he was in that room, he would be fine.
He had the Third Eye unlike other Mekiahs. He might be caged here physically, but he could fly to wherever he wanted when he was connected to the Third Eye. He should be happy with that.
It wasn't the same. And it wasn't like him.
Dreaming, being happy with what he had, was nothing like him. He would fight until his last breath if it meant he wouldn't die as some weak boy beaten by the government.
The pain in his leg and from the blow to his face faded to the background as they arrived at the cell. It was a full metal door, bolted shut with three locks. It was overkill. The fact that they also felt need to barre it magically as well was hilarious to him.
None of them understood anything.
The Exteru were weak beings and the Remu weren't any better. They worshipped the Exteru like they were gods. They weren't. They were hypocrites with complexes. From their sickening breeding HIVES to their extermination of innocent Mekiah, they showed their true colors every time they beat and killed defenseless beings.
Even the Remu didn't mean anything to them. Those glossy eyed Remu were scared of Mekiah so much that they were blind to the wrong things the Exteru were doing right in front of them.
It was okay though. Cassius would show them. He would show them how wrong they all were.
They unlatched his chains and pushed him into the cell. The door locked behind him.
Click. Click. Click.
The three sounds echoed in his head and as he looked around the dark cell, he receded into the folds of the Veil. Darkness gave way to a space gray and the loneliness he felt in the physical world faded to a flicker. There was no true difference when he crossed to the Veil. It wasn't some big change that set the two worlds apart. Though he was still alone, the life of the Veil and the current of its magic was better than the silence he endured on the other side.
They wanted to drive him to insanity. He'd lose his mind and they would build a new one that reflected what they wanted him to be. One that would serve their ultimate plan.
He couldn't imagine how many Mekiah they had broken. He should have been upset, but all he felt was numbness. He wouldn't become like the docile Mekiah they led around on leashes. That was not going to be his life.
An hour passed when the cell door opened again.
Cassius opened his eyes. He was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, when General Iza stepped in.
Iza sucked on his cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke. "Stand up."
Cassius grinned as the smoke burned his nose and throat. "One last beating, huh? Gotta get your rocks off, right?"
Iza stepped down on Cassius's hand and crushed his fingers. Cassius jerked back but held in his cry. He clenched his back molars until he heard them grind.
Iza's boot pressed harder.
"You think you've got it all planned." He took another drag. "I'll get you back. That little shit can't keep you to himself for long."
"That's not it at all."
Iza flicked the lit cigarette at Cassius's face. Before he could shield his face, ash burned his cheek. He glared.
"What did you offer him?" Iza twisted his lips. "Did you bend over and let him wonder what it would be like to get you alone?"
Cassius wiggled his fingers, testing if they were still attached.
"Get. Up."
Iza lifted his foot and waited for Cassius to move.
He did as he was told, fighting against the anger boiling in him. He wanted to beat Iza down like he had Rexton. He could try, but he was weaker and tired from all that he'd done today.
Besides, his inability to keep his anger in check was the reason why he'd blown his plans up in the first place. Maybe he'd still have a chance before he was transferred. But he had to completely change his plans.
His fingers trembled after almost being broken. As he stood, he looked Iza in the eyes, egging him on for another go around. He would get it. Iza had a short temper just like he did.
The difference was he couldn't do shit about it and Iza could. Whatever Iza dreamed up, he could dish it out without ever getting a beating of his own. He wondered if Iza was only doing what had been done before.
Cassius smirked and fought down a laugh. He would do anything to see Iza when he was the bitch for all the others. He probably got beat before he became a general everyday for what a fucking douche he was.
Cassius was too absorbed in his fantasy to notice Iza's less than happy face. It was noticed too late.
Iza grabbed him and pushed him against the wall. His head hit the concrete, knocking him stunned for a moment. Iza tightened his grip and slammed Cassius's head against the wall again and again. Blood soaked his hair and he gasped for breath. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he felt the room spin and Iza's face multiply. He grabbed Iza's wrists and tried to pull them away.
"Do you get it now, boy? I will always be above you."
Iza's face flickered. Cassius could barely keep his eyes open.
It wasn't true. He wasn't a slave to anyone or any government. It was never his fault for what he was and he would never apologize for it.
"Fuck"--gasp--"you."
The blood was a mess down his neck and shirt.
They would let him die. They needed him. No matter how much they said he was nothing, they would let him disappear for no reason. Iza wasn't an exception. He was an example of every single one of those leaches in the world, feeding off Mekiah power. What they said happened, whether it was true or not about the Mekiah race had nothing to do with him.
Cassius wouldn't become a pawn in the game. He was living for himself and no one else. That included any other Mekiah. He had his own problems to deal with.
The pain blinded him. He tried to recede back into the darkness, into the embrace of the Veil, but Iza kept bringing him back. The pain wrapped its cords around his throat, around his body, and inside of him until it was all he could focus on. His mind was too clouded with pain and anger that he couldn't grasp onto the magic he needed to cross.
Weak. He felt it once more after he said he would never become that little boy again. He'd grown up, became a man. Men didn't cry. The strong never gave up.
But he wasn't sure if he could escape the darkness this time. Iza's eyes were screaming with anger, insanity, and blood lust.
He wanted Cassius dead.
That fire blazing in his eyes would have made Cassius's insides quiver if he wasn't already falling into unconsciousness. The blood was sticking to the back of his neck, He could feel it dripping down his back.
This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Iza was easy to read, easy to taunt, and to mess with. He wore his emotions on his sleeve. He was never one step ahead of Cassius. Never.
But here he was, hands wrapped around Cassius's neck, second away from killing him. The game they started was finally coming to an end. He would have never predicted it would end like this.
It wasn't the losing he couldn't believe, though he never believed he could win either. Everything had always been stacked against him.
Escape had been a dream.
Iza smiled at him. That manic look showed a different man from the one Cassius had grown up knowing. Evil didn't come close to describing that look.
Cassius closed his eyes as he felt his strength give out. The Third Eye was nowhere and the Veil was unreachable. His safety was ripped from him.
For once, he truly wanted to die.