Prompt Post: ROUND ONE

[oakenshields13]

ROUND ONE
IS CLOSED

| ALL ROUNDS | ROUND TWO >>

OVERFLOW AND UNFILLED PROMPTS POST

Rules post.

Flat view.

Round One: Fills Post (completed Fills only)

Round One: Updates Post (WIPs only)

damalur's firstclasskink on Delicious.
Volunteers always welcome.

Note: Please use the Discussion Post if you want to talk about community alterations or get

Comments

For The Cause (Part 5/?)

[aaido]

The next few days passed in boredom and solitude. The mirrored room proved to be unbreakable. In preparation for his arrival, the walls, ceiling and floor had obviously been reinforced and not even swinging the metal chair against them with all his strength would create so much as a crack.

By now Erik would have realised he was missing and would be looking for him. The question was whether Shaw had left anything giving him away when he had taken Charles. It had happened on the grounds of his mansion. Charles had been taking a walk, thinking about their next move. He hadn’t seen Azazel coming, as he had teleported from a long way off and he hadn’t been able to hear his mind quickly enough. All he had known was a pair of arms wrapping around his neck and then the world dissolved in black smoke.

He was awaiting his daily visit from Shaw now. He had been plotting his escape for a while. The only way to get around Shaw’s power was to surprise him. If he came at him head-on, he’d just absorb the kinetic energy and perhaps zap him into unconsciousness. So it would have to be sneaky. If he could just get his helmet off, he could freeze him and simply walk out of here. No one else really had a chance of stopping Charles, and he knew that.

Charles twiddled his thumbs. He was fully dressed though there was no real reason for it unless he managed to get that helmet off. His clothes fit looser now from under-eating, his belt done up a notch tighter. He was certain that this was part of Shaw’s plan - if he was thinner and malnourished, his body was weaker and he posed less threat once he was out of the mirrored room.

Finally the door swept open. This time though, Shaw wasn’t carrying a tray of food, he was carrying a box. “I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said and he sounded gleeful. Charles’ stomach dropped slightly. “Please, sit,” the older man, said, gesturing at the bed, and Charles realised he had jumped to his feet when his captor had entered the room. Tentatively, he did so, perching lightly on the side of the double bed. Shaw sat next to him, so close that their legs were nearly touching. The box sat on his lap.

They sat in incredibly awkward silence for a moment, before Shaw cracked a smile, taking the lid off. Charles’ eyes slid down to look at it, but it didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before. It was some kind of electronics or computer chip or something. It was only about one and a half inches wide on both sides, a square shape with what looked like little pins on all sides. It was made of a material that looked eerily similar to Shaw’s helmet.

“What is it?” asked Charles warily, unsure if he even wanted to know.

“Lie down, head in my lap,” Shaw said instead of answering, smile still on his face. Charles just stared at him incredulously. Obviously, Shaw was feeling impatient today, because he didn’t wait long before he reached out and grabbed Charles by the hair, dragging him down to lie in his lap. When he tried to resist, he just absorbed his movement. He moved him so the right side of his face was against his lap, left side exposed to the air.

With steady fingers, he removed the chip from the box, turning it over in his hand. “Pretty, isn’t it?” he asked, not waiting for a reply before continuing, “The Russians do good work. There are a few telepaths over there, I’m certain. Otherwise how would they know how to make these excellent things?”

“What--” started Charles, but stopped when he felt Shaw brushing his hair back from his face, exposing his temple. “Wait,” he said, suddenly feeling fearful. He tried to sit up, but found his body unmoving, energy-draining sensation familiar by now, “Don’t do this.”

Shaw placed the chip down on his temple carefully, adjusting until he got the positioning right. “Ready?” he asked.

“No!” protested Charles, but to no avail. Using his power, Shaw pushed it down with greater force than a human hand should have. The pins pierced his skin, embedding themselves into his skull. He screamed.