Dwayne was one of the few who let him see his dissatisfaction in this regard, coming to face him on multiple occasions, in which most always ended by him being locked in the dungeon, a huge place built after what happened the night when the ambush was carried out by the strange beings of that unknown reality, 30 meters deep from the base, approximately 52,812 m². One half was full of cells in every corner of it, this connected with the other half to an administration room that had an upper and a lower floor, both full of technology still uninstalled due to lack of personnel, because the Paladin needed all his subordinates working on something much more important, leaving that part of the complex unfinished.
It was in this place where they held captive the person in charge, the one who dominated the battalion with a determined look in the field. Now only vestiges of that subject remained, the years in captivity, the constant tortures and the various experiments carried out during that time had destroyed him mentally.
The place was intended to be a command room to complement the heliport that was a few meters in front, where the staff could communicate with the pilots during air expeditions, the heliport would serve as a warehouse after the Paladin ordered to stop the installation, leaving much unused equipment such as computers, supplies, spare parts, cabling and wiring, supplies, spare parts, wiring and most importantly, aerial vehicles, which unlike the first models they managed to develop years ago, these were powered by energy from ground zero, which made them more efficient at the time of flight and handling of the aircraft.
The first time Dwayne set foot in the cell, he was horrified to learn of the multiple tortures he had been subjected to at the hands of his fellow prisoners. He could not believe that despite everything they went through together as a community, they were able to push their devotion to the limit and how some members of the group held an undying loyalty to the now Paladin. Immediately the feeling of guilt invaded the man, he felt like an idiot to have blindly believed in him like everyone else, that's why every time he served his sentence and was released again, he had less and less respect for him.
During one of those times when it was his turn to serve his punishment, he managed to talk for a moment with the only one with whom he shared that small, narrow and cold place. The leader who used to wear his platinum armor, remained lying on the floor, handcuffed from head to toe, every time Dwayne returned to the dungeon he saw him more deplorable than before.
- Hey... Hey!" the man tried to get his attention by waving his hands outside the cell, waiting for him to see him.
- What do you want? - The prisoner was sitting on the floor with his back to him, his eyes downcast as he stared at the tally of days on the wall, some of them barely visible due to wear and tear.
- Look... I just want to apologize for what happened to you, I honestly didn't know he was capable of doing something like that. - Silence invaded the atmosphere for a moment, interrupted only by the sound of their breathing. - Although the truth is that none of us is a saint here, you and your army killed many of ours, we killed some of theirs... we all have blood on our hands. The difference is ... we don't prolong the suffering, honestly I never liked the way he saw things, the only thing I respected him for was that at least he had honor.... You know where I come from we are a family of warriors, we are passionate about fighting and violence, but we never tolerated what was not fair. I still remember how it was that I agreed to join him, he came accompanied by 7 men, he was quite docile at the time, we were in the majority so he was sensible. He asked for some writings related to ground zero that belonged to our ancestors, they were from my great-great grandfather. I approached and faced him, asked him what he was looking for a couple of old papers for, and when he told me about the orb, that's when I saw the opportunity to change my life. At that time people told many things about the zero point, whether it was magic or miraculous... it didn't matter, all the versions coincided in one thing, infinite power. I only thought about getting stronger, I felt that need to want a real challenge that would make me feel alive again, so I agreed to deliver the scrolls only if I managed to beat me in a duel, the only condition was to use only my fists. In the end I ended up winning, but there were several opportunities in which he could have used his sword to stab me and take the codices; however, he didn't do it... I put his honor to the test and he proved it, that was what finally convinced me to join his ranks, although as things are nowadays... I would have preferred never to have done it, so we would have avoided shedding so much blood without any sense. - Dwayne took a minute as he ran his hand over his face, sighing with his eyes on the ground, "He said this could fix our lives, but the way I see it now... he always referred to it all this time. Maybe the eternal Paladin was always there, we were just too naive to realize it.
- Why are you telling me all this? - asked the prisoner in front of him while he remained without looking at him.
- Because I plan to escape from this damned place, but I won't make it if only I go against it," Dwayne approached the grille of his cell while he rested his hands on them, without looking at his face.
- Is this some kind of proposal? - The man turned to look at him as he got up from the floor.
- A truce rather, I saw how you performed in combat, it is clear that you were more than just a lieutenant. You alone equal about 50 of ours, that's me and 2 others on my side.
- That's all? You and two more? It's suicide," he exclaimed as he turned his back, walking away from the bars.
- I didn't say it wasn't, that's why I wanted to talk to you. If this works out we both benefit, you will be free and we can run away from this place.
- ... - seemed to be considering his offer, until he looked down at his handcuffs. - There's a problem, these things inhibit my power.... So even if you managed to get me out of here, I'd be just as useful as all of you.
- The handcuffs?
- No matter what they're called, without my powers I won't be able to be of any help to you....
- He hits the wall with it.
-What... Hit the wall? What for? - the man turned to look at Dwayne with a raised eyebrow from the corner of his cell, as he lay with his back turned and his hands clasped together in front of him.
- Just do it.- As anticlimactic as it was, he reluctantly hit the wall using the handcuffs, the impact of it didn't sound so heavy, Dwayne asked him again to do it but with more force, this time it sounded a little drier than the previous one, confirming his suspicions.- I see, don't worry...we have a Scientist on staff. I'm sure he'll know how to get those things off of you. So... what do you say? Do you want to stay here for the rest of your days, like you're his fucking trophy?
Dwayne's words were like a bucket of cold water, it was true. Even though he felt like a worthless piece of shit, he still had some of his pride intact. He wasn't about to indulge this man by being a mere distraction from his daily routine.
- I'm in..." Decidedly, the prisoner moved a little closer towards the bars with a frown, observing him with a questioning look.
- What... are you serious?!? - Dwayne couldn't help but smile a little at that while still holding on to the railings.
- Do I look like I want to stay here any longer? - His tone had become more serious at her questioning.
- Haha... Great! Be attentive to what the guards say in the next hours, I'll organize with my team, we'll come for you, I give you my word," Dwayne tried to shake her hand, putting an arm out to reach him, regretting it at the last second when she remembered that he couldn't move his hands.
- You better, because I don't care how, if it's with your help or not. I'm going to kill that fucker," the man turned his back on him again, only this time he hadn't backed himself into a corner as usual.
- Don't worry, I still have my honor intact.... I'm Dwayne, by the way.
- Call me Origin.