Hops sat groggily eyed within his own cell, as he barely listened to the sound of his own snoring. He's been here how long, he couldn't remember, except the low sounds of moaning in the distance, as he side-eyed the leftover meal from some days ago, maggots already growing within the food.
He was just considering if he'll have another protein snack, until he heard a key shuffle open the cell. Probably for the weekly cleaning, he figured since they only came to do so every once and a while, but could be sooner, for all he knew.
"Get up, our Leader Youden commands your presence." the guard announced to him, cuffs in hand.
Without conflict, he stood up, as the woman cuffed his arms tightly before they proceeded down the narrow corridor. Just walking was aching, as he struggled to press forward through the rocky floor, before climbing up some steps leading to a small opening. The guard proceeded them towards a small iron door, to which it opened up to a multitude of buttons.
"You guys still use elevators, huh?" Hops commented in surprise, almost forgetting what one looks like.
"Our society has built upon what was once a fragile civilization and still uses some of Saputa's ancient machinery. " the guard confidently replied back, as if they had not lived here their entire life.
Hops just looked ahead in disgust, at such a lie, as the elevator shuffled lower into the premise.
"Where are we even?" Hops wanted to note.
"Despite me not supposed to tell you a single thing, we are in Youdenio City, the capital of the Kingdom of Youdenia." the guard replied, "You guys really have been under a rock, haven't you?"
"I suppose so." Hops noted, as the elevator chimed, and the door opening.
Hops gazed around to see several seats, occupants already in place. No way, he stared at the table, realizing who they were. He hesitated making another step, until the guard pushed him forward, and forcing him into the last unoccupied seat. Hops began trying to fight back, but the guard quickly strapped his legs and arms onto the metal chair.
"Let me go!" Hops cried out, launching his head forward, causing the guard to stumble back from the headbutt, before hitting him back in the head.
"That's enough," a deep voice called out, making the guard back away, "Return to your assigned position, at once."
Hops looked ahead, to see Youden staring deeply ahead at the cuffed people, before beginning to laugh menacingly. This was sick, Hops wanted to say, but couldn't force him to speak, waiting for more information.
"This, this is just incredible. After all these years, I finally have all-, well almost all of you." Youden walked down, looking into the eyes of each of them. "It really was such a waste of resources, all for a pathetic group of people."
"So why bring us all the way here?" Hops heard one of the strapped people speak up, finding it out to be Leon. "You still need us for something. If I had to guess, it's for Jamal."
"Clever man. You really should of stayed being a leader, you know." Youden approached Leon, before staring him down, right at his eye. "Unfortunately, that is not the case is it?"
In shame, Leon spat at his face, to which Youden just stood there, before leaning back. Wiping the saliva away, he motioned two people in labcoats in the back to come towards him, bringing a metal tray with them. Hops just strained his head, as he watched the doctors begin to wipe at Leon's arm.
"You see, these lovely group of people have been spending the last two years developing a serum, just so people like you'll be in better control, at least for me." Youden grinned, as one of the doctors injected a syringe into Leon.
Leon tried to move back, but there was nothing there to save him, as the doctor pulled back, and stared at years of progress.
"It'll quickly take effect, and soon," Youden kneeled down to Leon grunting his teeth, "We'll let the real work begin."
"What, did, you do, to me?!" Leon managed to mutter, as he began to glow from his aura, temporarily expanding his mass.
Hops just watched in awe, as Leon began to heave deeply, the aura fainting away, before he began to moan in pain. Whatever was happening to him, was likely going to happen to the rest of them, and they needed to dip quick, and now.
"The more you fight it, the quicker it comes into effect." Youden commented, to the man barely moaning, as the doctors began to wipe at Brat's arm.
"Yo-, Youden." Leon managed to say. "I promise, I wi-, will-"
"Will what?"
"Serve you to the end." Leon looked up, as the doctor jabbed the next syringe into Brat.
Hops just stared straight ahead, as he heard the others grunting and moaning, attempting to fight the urge against such an evil. But in the end, they succumbed to it's power. The only sound left, was Ula still whimpering, perhaps what was left of her mind still worried about her child, or even Jamal after everything that had happened between there and here.
"Wow, it's just you now left, Hops, or rather Ryan Fe-" Youden began to announce to Hops, as the doctors began to wipe his arm.
"Yeah, yeah, Ryan Feli, you're about to be under my control, help me find Jamal, yadda yadda yadda. Honestly, I wish you could just shut the fu-" Hops began to get tired of listening to him, before getting slapped in the face, causing him to slump his head down.
"You wanted to say what again?" Youden asked again, to which silence answered for him, "I assumed so. Double jab him."
"Wait, what?" Hops was able to say, before the first shot went in.
He didn't feel much, but a buzz in his brain, as if there was something secreting into it. He shook his head, as it only made him more dizzy, and the fluid filling up, causing him to start to blank out.
"Wow, we may actually not need that second jab. Looks like it's working extremely well after all."
No, not like this, Hops swayed his head up, as he forced himself to maintain control, hearing a voice telling him to sleep. He could not give in, he still had fight left in him. Struggling, he turned his head towards his arm he was injected with, before biting down onto it, causing him to yelp in pain.
"You'll need more then that to slow me down." Hops managed to grin, blood dripping down his arm. "You'll have to kill me before I lose myself for and to you."
"As you wish. Do the second injection, and don't let any of them go until they all pass the control test." Youden nodded to the doctors, before walking away. "I'll return to make sure enough time has passed. Once so, let the real work truly begin."
Hops could only sway his head towards Youden's fleeing body, before he felt the second jab, and everything blanked out.