Words: 1206
Spoiler
It was dark in the holding cell.
Sebastian was curled on the cold concrete floor, focusing on breathing. He could do that, at least.
In through the nose.
Every deep breath sent shards of pain through his bruised ribs, his split lip, his battered back and stomach and legs. He suspected that his right wrist might be broken. He cradled it to his chest.
Out through the mouth.
He was a captive. The thought put a sour taste in his mouth. They'd broken into his room, where he'd been sitting at the computer with headphones in, oblivious. Men in dark military suits, and a girl with a twitchy smile. They'd grabbed him, punched him in the gut, wrenched his wrists behind his back, too rough, and there was a sickening snap sound as something broke inside. A sack went over his face that smelled like mold.
In through the nose.
The girl had teleported them here, but it had been jerky. He could tell that she wasn't very good at it. There were a lot of halting stops between and grumbling from his captors.
He'd been too shocked to scream, and every time he'd considered it, he'd recieved another punch to the stomach, to the kidneys, to the shoulder.
Out through the mouth.
They knew what he'd found. They knew about Eli. They'd known everything for a long time, and Seb felt like an idiot for thinking that they'd get away with it. They'd never intended to let Eli continue on, not without the control of those pills. And they'd never have let that list of names get out, either. The names were insurance, protection. If someone broke the rules, the Program would be the good guy for exposing them. Throwing them to the wolves of the police, the media, all the betrayed friends and family.
Seb shifted, his hip digging into the concrete floor. He felt the beginnings of tears itching at his eyes. His family. Would they know what had happened? Would the Program claim him as a criminal, or would his disappearance be unexplained?
And for what? What could he have done, anyway? If he'd exposed the names, he would have still put all those people in danger. He'd have ruined Eli's life, if the Program hadn't. But that list... it was so long. The Program had their claws in so many people, in so many places, not just Bluford. Cities all over the country. Surely their purposes weren't known by the government, or the police. Certainly not the public. And from what he'd seen with Atlas and Eli, he couldn't help but shudder to think how many young people had fallen prey to those evil people.
The metal, automated door beeped, then slid open, retracting into the wall. Seb startled, pulling himself upright. He held his bad wrist tenderly in his other hand.
A man with flaming red hair strode in. Overhead lights clicked on, and Seb blinked at the sudden harsh flourescents. The hulking form of the guard loomed in the doorway before the door slid shut again.
The man was dressed in black military garb, with a bullet-proof vest strapped over his thin chest. Clear frame glasses were perched on his nose, and freckles spattered his cheeks like blood. There was a folding chair in his hands.
"Sebastian!" he said, striding forward to where Seb sat dazed on the floor. He was smiling a huge, brilliant grin. "Goodness, I've been wanting to meet you."
With the lights on, Seb could finally see that the room was completely empty. Just a concrete square with a door. The man unfolded the chair before Sebastian and perched on it, leaning forward. His intense gaze was a watery blue.
"You've been causing us some issues, kiddo," he said, as if they were discussing an exciting football match. "It's really a shame, because we'd determined to leave you out of this until today."
Sebastian drew his tall frame fully upright, fighting the sense of emarassment at the fact that he was sitting on the floor while this man loomed over him.
"Who are you?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes.
The man looked amused. "I'm surprised you don't recognize me, given all that Eli's told you. He was an employee of mine."
West. Who else had a personal connection to Eli? Seb tried to hold the man's gaze, but his eyes dropped to the floor. He couldn't help but find that "was" in the agent's statement. "He was an employee." Eli had been on a mission when all this had happened. What had they done to him?
"What do you want?" His voice was weak. He wasn't made for this.
Agent West shifted. "Well, that assumes that you have anything to give that we don't already know." His tone sharpened. "Honestly, just your presence here is pretty damn useful. Hostage value, and all that. Does that make you feel special?"
Sebastian didn't say anything. He stared at West's black combat boots. Would they use him as a hostage against his family? Against Eli?
"Where is Rift now?"
Seb glanced up. The smile was gone from West's face. His elbows were on his knees, and he leaned dangerously close to Seb's face.
Sebastian squinted. A glimmer of hope. That question meant that they didn't know where Eli was.
"I don't know."
The agent punched him in the jaw. Pain exloded behind Seb's eyes, and he fell to the side, catching his fall with an elbow.
"Please," West said calmly, rising to his feet. "I really hate being lied to. I could only tolerate so much from your friend."
He stood over Sebastian, his pale face in shadow beneath the glaring flourescents. Seb clutched his wrist and watched him, waiting, heart hammering in his ears.
"Now," West said, "Enough pleasantries. Tell me where he is, and I'll leave you be."
Panic sliced through Seb's chest. He raised his hands in surrender. "I really don't know. He was on a mission, he wasn't going to back until late, and I--"
West raised a fist, and Seb flinched, hard. Tears welled up in his eyes. God. Not yet. He'd hoped he'd make it longer than this.
It terrified him to realize that if he had known where Eli was, it probably wouldn't have taken much to get that out of him.
Nothing came. Sebastian peeked through his arms. West had his head cocked to the side, thinking.
"I'll let you think on it, kiddo."
He crouched down. Seb recoiled.
West's voice was a low rasp. "Just remember: You're here now. You're mine. You aren't leaving. Protecting him won't matter in the long run." He paused, watery eyes only a foot away. "It'll be worse on both of you if you decide to be difficult."
He gave Seb a rough pat on the cheek and straightened. That too-wide smile was back, plastered on. He grabbed the folding chair, collapsed it, and deftly swung it to his side. Seb waiting with held breath. He half expected the man to hit him with the chair.
"I expect a more helpful attitude when I return."
The door slid open. The agent stepped through without a backward glance, and Seb was plunged back into darkness.
Sebastian was curled on the cold concrete floor, focusing on breathing. He could do that, at least.
In through the nose.
Every deep breath sent shards of pain through his bruised ribs, his split lip, his battered back and stomach and legs. He suspected that his right wrist might be broken. He cradled it to his chest.
Out through the mouth.
He was a captive. The thought put a sour taste in his mouth. They'd broken into his room, where he'd been sitting at the computer with headphones in, oblivious. Men in dark military suits, and a girl with a twitchy smile. They'd grabbed him, punched him in the gut, wrenched his wrists behind his back, too rough, and there was a sickening snap sound as something broke inside. A sack went over his face that smelled like mold.
In through the nose.
The girl had teleported them here, but it had been jerky. He could tell that she wasn't very good at it. There were a lot of halting stops between and grumbling from his captors.
He'd been too shocked to scream, and every time he'd considered it, he'd recieved another punch to the stomach, to the kidneys, to the shoulder.
Out through the mouth.
They knew what he'd found. They knew about Eli. They'd known everything for a long time, and Seb felt like an idiot for thinking that they'd get away with it. They'd never intended to let Eli continue on, not without the control of those pills. And they'd never have let that list of names get out, either. The names were insurance, protection. If someone broke the rules, the Program would be the good guy for exposing them. Throwing them to the wolves of the police, the media, all the betrayed friends and family.
Seb shifted, his hip digging into the concrete floor. He felt the beginnings of tears itching at his eyes. His family. Would they know what had happened? Would the Program claim him as a criminal, or would his disappearance be unexplained?
And for what? What could he have done, anyway? If he'd exposed the names, he would have still put all those people in danger. He'd have ruined Eli's life, if the Program hadn't. But that list... it was so long. The Program had their claws in so many people, in so many places, not just Bluford. Cities all over the country. Surely their purposes weren't known by the government, or the police. Certainly not the public. And from what he'd seen with Atlas and Eli, he couldn't help but shudder to think how many young people had fallen prey to those evil people.
The metal, automated door beeped, then slid open, retracting into the wall. Seb startled, pulling himself upright. He held his bad wrist tenderly in his other hand.
A man with flaming red hair strode in. Overhead lights clicked on, and Seb blinked at the sudden harsh flourescents. The hulking form of the guard loomed in the doorway before the door slid shut again.
The man was dressed in black military garb, with a bullet-proof vest strapped over his thin chest. Clear frame glasses were perched on his nose, and freckles spattered his cheeks like blood. There was a folding chair in his hands.
"Sebastian!" he said, striding forward to where Seb sat dazed on the floor. He was smiling a huge, brilliant grin. "Goodness, I've been wanting to meet you."
With the lights on, Seb could finally see that the room was completely empty. Just a concrete square with a door. The man unfolded the chair before Sebastian and perched on it, leaning forward. His intense gaze was a watery blue.
"You've been causing us some issues, kiddo," he said, as if they were discussing an exciting football match. "It's really a shame, because we'd determined to leave you out of this until today."
Sebastian drew his tall frame fully upright, fighting the sense of emarassment at the fact that he was sitting on the floor while this man loomed over him.
"Who are you?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes.
The man looked amused. "I'm surprised you don't recognize me, given all that Eli's told you. He was an employee of mine."
West. Who else had a personal connection to Eli? Seb tried to hold the man's gaze, but his eyes dropped to the floor. He couldn't help but find that "was" in the agent's statement. "He was an employee." Eli had been on a mission when all this had happened. What had they done to him?
"What do you want?" His voice was weak. He wasn't made for this.
Agent West shifted. "Well, that assumes that you have anything to give that we don't already know." His tone sharpened. "Honestly, just your presence here is pretty damn useful. Hostage value, and all that. Does that make you feel special?"
Sebastian didn't say anything. He stared at West's black combat boots. Would they use him as a hostage against his family? Against Eli?
"Where is Rift now?"
Seb glanced up. The smile was gone from West's face. His elbows were on his knees, and he leaned dangerously close to Seb's face.
Sebastian squinted. A glimmer of hope. That question meant that they didn't know where Eli was.
"I don't know."
The agent punched him in the jaw. Pain exloded behind Seb's eyes, and he fell to the side, catching his fall with an elbow.
"Please," West said calmly, rising to his feet. "I really hate being lied to. I could only tolerate so much from your friend."
He stood over Sebastian, his pale face in shadow beneath the glaring flourescents. Seb clutched his wrist and watched him, waiting, heart hammering in his ears.
"Now," West said, "Enough pleasantries. Tell me where he is, and I'll leave you be."
Panic sliced through Seb's chest. He raised his hands in surrender. "I really don't know. He was on a mission, he wasn't going to back until late, and I--"
West raised a fist, and Seb flinched, hard. Tears welled up in his eyes. God. Not yet. He'd hoped he'd make it longer than this.
It terrified him to realize that if he had known where Eli was, it probably wouldn't have taken much to get that out of him.
Nothing came. Sebastian peeked through his arms. West had his head cocked to the side, thinking.
"I'll let you think on it, kiddo."
He crouched down. Seb recoiled.
West's voice was a low rasp. "Just remember: You're here now. You're mine. You aren't leaving. Protecting him won't matter in the long run." He paused, watery eyes only a foot away. "It'll be worse on both of you if you decide to be difficult."
He gave Seb a rough pat on the cheek and straightened. That too-wide smile was back, plastered on. He grabbed the folding chair, collapsed it, and deftly swung it to his side. Seb waiting with held breath. He half expected the man to hit him with the chair.
"I expect a more helpful attitude when I return."
The door slid open. The agent stepped through without a backward glance, and Seb was plunged back into darkness.
