The door burst open a few hours later and obsequious captors who had been lording it over us now acted in a grovelling manner toward a familiar looking man. I had seen glimpses of him in the City Agent Headquarters before. He had been one of the higher ups in the office. Although I didn't know exactly who he was, I knew he was higher than even Director Worth's level.
Stiffening up, I carefully lowered my head to avoid being seen, letting my hair fall down to cover my face. I watched what was going on through my curtain of messy hair and partially closed eyes. Leaning against Doc, I feigned sleep.
Shigure and his ugly bad friend were somewhere else in the hall discussing their escape or catching up on business. I hadn't seen them again since Tiger Eye Chad Thundercock Wing Blues had dragged Shigure off to the toilets with him. There was no escape through the toilet windows. It was covered in thick frosted glass and a grid of bars that reminded me of a prison.
That window made me wonder what this building used to be used for and what kind of building we were in. This hall was bereft of windows. It was both walled and floored with both real and laminated wood. If it weren't for the lights and fans that ran at all times of the day, it'd be an awfully dark and stuffy space. There was really no way out. Unless that ugly, bad man had outside help.
"Who is he?" Doc asked me, surreptitiously pointing at the man at the door with the hand holding one of mine.
"I don't know exactly," I whispered, thinking of Shigure and hoping he had somehow already escaped, although I doubted it. "But it's bad news."
Was this man who the guards were bowing to repetitively a City Agent man under cover here? Or was he actually the traitor who had let the enemy in? Was he Snake Eye, the one Shigure and Tiger Eye Chad Thundercock Wing Blues said was also the one who betrayed the city during the last invasion? The man who could possibly have planned and executed this current invasion in betrayal of the City Agent's oath again?
I unconsciously clutched at Doc's hand and the bottom of Doc's shirt in fear.
The men talked in soft voices and then a guard raised an arm to point in my direction. I felt a sinking sensation.
Done for. Done for. We were done for.
"That man was sitting with that girl over there. The doctor we brought in managed to help them survive their critical injuries but they're both still in a bad way," one of the captors babbled to the familiar looking City Agent man. "From our observations, without proper medical treatment, the two of them may still die."
"Where is he then?" the City Agent man asked and for some reason, his voice sent a strange thrill through me. It almost mesmerised me and I had to fight free of the thrilling effect that had almost overpowered me and made me want to submit to the City Agent man. This was probably his talent.
What a terrible talent. Used in the wrong hands, it could bring a catastrophe. Maybe that's what he had done.
Glancing at Doc, he was like everyone else in the hall. They were looking at the City Agent man in thrall.
"Maybe he went to the toilet," the captor said nervously to one of his men. "Go find him."
A shadow crouched in front of me and I felt shadowy tendrils trying to creep into my mind. Seeing how tightly shut and closed my mind was, and seeing it was obviously broken from some of the shards on the edges, the City Agent man sat back on his heels to examine me silently with his odd eyes. He brushed my hair out of my face.
"Ah," he released a grin. "I remember you. You're Red Eye's new apprentice and partner. Can't have you dying when you'd make excellent bait and experimental material. What happened to you?"
Why did that sound so terrifyingly ominous?
"We captured her at the end of a battle," said one guard, licking his lips. "She's one of the best rides anyone has ever had. In fact, she and the doctor we brought back are the only survivors from that lot of prisoners we interrogated. The other women all died before we finished having fun with them."
The callousness and apathetic attitude of the guard while he was talking about it was scary. It was as if he was talking about vegetables in the market that were to be cooked for dinner. He looked me up and down with his disgusting eyes and I wanted to throw up on him.
A cool, smooth hand stroked my cheek, making me open my eyes in surprise at the cold sensation which sent another strange thrill through me. I fought the feeling down. One of his eyes had a slitted pupil like a snake. No wonder he got his codename.
"Awake?" Snake Eye said and felt me struggle free from the sound of his voice with a smirk. "You must have had very strong mental abilities before you were so badly injured, if you can stay free of this much. If I'm not wrong, you're the one who brought the old dinosaur guardians out of hiding, and have multiple abilities. Silly Susan tried to hide it from us but I have my sources. Tiger Eye wants you too. In fact, from casual perusal of your record, I have a theory about you that I want to try out." Snake Eye caressed my cheek one more time and I felt his eyes attempting to hypnotise me. "Someone tried to hide the news, but they were too late."
Perhaps I had gained some immunity to controlling techniques now. A mild immunity. If it was an immunity. I didn't want to be controlled and conditioned again. I shut my eyes in a hurry, making him laugh.
"Take her," Snake Eye said standing up. "I'm taking her back with me, whether or not we find my old friend."
I felt someone pick me up and pat me on the bottom. Thank goodness for my adult sized diapers. I bit him in retaliation, only to be pinched on the thigh in return. Angrily, I huffed and turned my face away, making the big guy who had picked me up chuckle.
"You're very cute," Snake Eye said and I felt his cold finger trail down the side of my neck past my collar bone, startling me into looking at him again. I hurriedly shut my eyes before I could look into his eyes, making him laugh even more. "Get rid of those diapers," he told the guard in disgust.
My continence aid was torn from me. They had been a clean pair. I had succeeded today in not soiling or wetting them during my walking practice and had been very proud of the fact. Now that they were gone, I felt that I had been stripped of my armour.
The big guy holding me smirked and pinched me again, making me flinch.
"We've found them!" came a shout from the back of the hall.
I opened my eyes to see Shigure being carried toward us. Blood seeped from a shoulder and more blood dripped from his head where someone had obviously hit him. My eyes widened and I stirred, unconsciously wanting to go over to check on him. The man holding me tightened his grip.
Not again! Shigure was injured again. He'd only just started getting better. Did they want to kill him? I glared at the guards but they didn't notice. Only Snake Eye noticed my anger and smiled, his finger stroking the edge of my jaw.
Four other enemy men were prodding Tiger Eye Chad Thundercock Wing Blues forward. He was wrapped in metallic chains of a strange sheen. He also looked furious. And unwilling. His face was all puffed up and alternating between red, white and purple as he struggled to break free.
"Aha," said Snake Eye with joy evident in his voice. His finger stopped under my chin. "All my old friends are here. Tiger Eye, I wasn't expecting you, but it's wonderful of you to join us. It'll be good for us all to catch up." He turned to his men. "Bring them with us."
Snake Eye took me from the big man holding me and kissed my cheek sloppily. He looked happy. I made a face.
"Let go of my Little Bluebird, you beast," Chad Thundercock roared, straining at the chains. The chains seemed to tighten, choking him into silence and making Snake Eye snort, rolling his eyes. "Don't you touch her."
"Let's go," Snake Eye gestured, ignoring him, his long fingers tapping against my body as if in thought.
Much as I wanted to fight him, I hadn't the strength nor the power. I had drained myself by walking a few metres just now. I had no access to my abilities. I was pretty much useless.