Lance woke up on the floor colored in the color of blood projected against the white walls. He sat up with a sharp gasp, breathing heavily. There was no one there, and no sign he had been anywhere near that room before.
He was surrounded by cages. He could hear open weeping coming from one. There were other cages with humans inside them . Some appeared to be unconscious while others sat up with their hands over their eyes as if they'd tried to block out everything.
Lance wondered if his mind had conjured something like this, but he knew what he had seen and heard. He also knew that whatever he saw or heard wasn't real. It wasn't possible for anyone to hurt him.
The door opened behind him and a tall figure entered. He wore a mask and a hood, making it impossible to see his face. He walked over to a cage at the front of the room. His voice seemed to echo around the room. "You're finally awake." He said. He reached into the cage and brought a person out.
He threw her unceremoniously to the floor in front of Lance, who barely caught her. She had woken up screaming, her face contorted in terror.
She began to cry as Lance stared blankly at her, unable to even process what was happening to him. The man took off his hood and smiled widely at him, showing teeth stained red with blood. Lance backed away as far as he could until he hit the wall and fell to the floor.
"It's alright, it won't kill you." The stranger said reassuringly.
Lance shook his head. "What are you doing?" he shouted.
"I know you do not. That's why I made your world different. Your friends don't have to worry about getting executed. You can live out your life as free people without fear of judgement as you Crimson Crow's son." He spoke calmly but Lance knew better than to believe the words he was hearing.
"But we're going to die anyway." The words just came out of his mouth. He didn't really care. He knew he couldn't survive here.
The figure nodded and approached him slowly. Lance flinched when he touched him. The man's hand glowed purple and Lance's entire body felt numb. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and hope someone would save him. Then all sensation returned to him. Lance was laying on the floor staring up at the strange man who had caused all of this.
The door slammed open to another figure standing in the doorway and Lance looked over his shoulder to see the man who he fought before. He suddenly remembered Suri and he quickly pushed himself back to his feet.
"Where is Suri?!" Lance shouted.
The other man simply turned and left. His head was still spinning and he had an overwhelming need to be sick. He stumbled over to where she lay motionless, tears staining her cheeks, and held her close. As much as he hated to admit it, she reminded him a lot his mother…
They were both broken and alone. And there was nothing Lance could do about it.
"She isn't here anymore, Lance you are here alone."
The voice was distorted and it sounded like a distorted version of himself saying the same thing. He never realized he would be seperated from his friend so soon. But then again, neither did the man who put them into these rooms. And now they weren't even sure when they would be released. If ever. There was another sound of movement and Lance looked up.
"What is your name anyways? Who do you work for?" Lance asked. He wasn't afraid, just confused.
A smile spread across his face and he crouched down next to Lance.
"My name doesn't matter. Not anymore. What matters is what you call me. And who I am to you."
He held his hand out toward Lance's chest and the younger boy shivered. "Who do you think will rescue you?"
Lance looked around him once more and saw nobody looking at them. Nobody cared that two prisoners were in cages with nowhere to go. The only people who did seem interested were guards outside and the man who had thrown Lance here, and apparently nobody else.
So he leaned forward and whispered to the man, whose hand stopped glowing. "Nobody. They'll let you rot here if you finally don't start acting like you should."
The man looked angry, but he nodded and stood up. "Do you want to leave here or stay here? It depends on you. But you are safe here."
Lance was speechless . The man gave him time to decide whether he was meant to stay or to leave. Eventually Lance replied with a simple nod. "I might as well stay…"
The man's expression brightened. "Alright!" He turned and started walking away, leaving Lance alone. Lance stared after him in confusion.
"Does my Dad know I am here?" Lance questioned.
"Of course! Why wouldn't he?" The man responded with a hint of annoyance.
"I see..." he mumbled.
Then he looked down wondering how long he would be suffering like this. How many days did he have to spend here? Would he be sent somewhere worse or kept here forever? The thought terrified him.
After a while, he decided that this couldn't possibly last forever. He was scared of the future ahead of him but he had to be strong. He couldn't show weakness. He wouldn't give them any more ammunition to use against him if he allowed them to find out.
He was saved from having to answer his own question by some footsteps approaching. He looked up and saw a pair of guards approaching. He braced himself for what was coming.
"Get up. We're taking you to our interrogation room." One guard ordered gruffly as she stepped closer. She grabbed his arm and forced him to stand. "Follow me."
The second guard gestured for the other one to follow. Once he and the first guard had left as Lance watched helplessly. After a few moments, the other guard came back and grabbed his arm roughly, yanking him along as if he was a rag doll.
This time, Lance struggled. He struggled and thrashed trying to break free. "Wait why do you want me?" He begged, but none of his movements seemed to affect his captor at all.
"Shut up, master said to teach you a lesson!"
He was dragged down several hallways, each one with a different person on it. They all passed Lance, their expressions empty of emotion. None of them spared a glance at him.
Finally they made it to a large metal door that read interrogation room 2. The guards unlocked it. They shoved Lance inside. "Wait here." They said before slamming the door shut behind him.