Location:Unknown:Java

[_into_the_fray_]

It had been a long week, dealing with Tai-San, with Java, helping Java every day after she'd been broken and ruined, watching the deterioration of a strong woman, tortured and left tied to a chair with various creepy crawlies as roommates, hard lessons to gain her loyalty enforced upon her to varying degrees. It was hard on him even, to not talk to

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[_java_]

The night had passed slowly, but was now over, and Java's mind was slowly beginning to clear itself of the hypnotic repetition of Line's words. They still flickered through her thoughts with a certain amount of regularity, but she could now think of other things, and the chanting had long since died away. Footsteps in the hallway alerted her to another guest, and Java bit her lower lip slightly. It had to be Line; he was always the first visitor. She cringed slightly behind her blindfold, her lips murmuring a silent prayer for mercy as the lock turned. She couldn't stand it, couldn't stand another day with him, another day of what she was used to enduring; she would do anything, so long as it would just stop

[_into_the_fray_]

Mega's jaw twitched as she said his name, pursing his lips a bit and staring at her. He wasn't going to get close to her when she was this angry, and there wasn't any chance of him letting her go if she couldn't calm down. "That's right, Java," he said with a resigned sigh, moving closer to her, but circling around her instead, eyeing the wrists he'd meticulously smeared the healing cream on day after day, looking at her with her droopy ends of her braids, no longer curled, her smeared makeup, she was a mess, and he'd had this done to her. He motioned at the person carrying a tray of food, and they moved in and set the tray on the table in the corner then moved back out into the hallway, watching the scene with the three other people

[_java_]

Java's head snapped towards him the second her blindfold was removed, her eyes flashing with a kind of anger she hadn't believed she still possessed. He moved around so that he stood before her, still close enough for her to faintly smell his aftershave, and she remembered the long week he'd helped her through, remembered falling asleep against him, remembered his hands all over her... Her eyes narrowed, glittering hatefully as they followed him. It was a trick, it had all been a trick, and of -course- he'd been behind it; he was sick, it was all sick...

Ignoring his question, ignoring the offer to feed her, you sick bastard, Java glared up at him for a long moment. "Why?" she spat, even as the lessons Line had ingrained in her began to cycle back through her mind. I'm worthless, I have failed him. The anger boiled in her, consumed her, but there was suddenly a rush of weakness with it, of deeply ingrained subordination, as she kept her eyes trained on him. She hated him, God, she hated him, but she was also weak, she was

[_into_the_fray_]

Mega watched with what looked like detached interest as she glared at him, as if it all bored him, when in reality, it hurt him. He'd taken care of her all week, he'd worked hard to clean her up and protect her from Line's creatures, though he had ordered Line to torture Java, this was true, but he'd had to do it, he couldn't risk her leaking vital information were he to let her go free. He sighed again, and eyed her passively, "Because, Ja-va," he said sternly, "I think you could be quite useful in my up and coming organization, and besides," he moved a little closer to her and bent down, eye to eye with her, mere inches from her face, "We had an agreement, or, have you forgotten?" He stood up and moved over to the corner, "Responsibilities can not be ignored," he reminded her, picking up the plate of toast and moving across the room, picking up a piece of toast and holding it out for her. "Come on now, you're going to need your strength today Java, you must eat so you don't get sick," he said gently, as if speaking to his sick wife

[_java_]

Useful? He thought Java might be useful? Her brows narrowed a bit, her eyes still furious; didn't Mega know that she was worthless? It had to be another trick, she thought; there couldn't be an organization, and he couldn't really expect her to be useful; it was all a trick. After all, hadn't he told her that they lacked the manpower to create the faction they'd planned on? Hadn't he told her that their plans were now worthless; hadn't he thrown her back into the street? She was furious with him, but also confused, now; it was certainly a trick, but she didn't understand... Responsibilities can not be ignored, chirped a voice in her head

[_into_the_fray_]

Mega frowned, untie her? He closed his eyes and shook his head, looking back at her now, if she couldn't eat like a good girl, how could he trust her to do anything he asked of her? He couldn't untie her yet, not until she'd had a full meal, which would help her think a bit clearer, and not until she'd been properly talked to, to test her loyalty and to make sure the job had been done. Of course, there were other techniques he was going to employ today as well, a sort of blackmail, a few honestly threatening promises, but for now he wished for her to comply, the rest would come later. "Eat, Java, and then I will talk to you about untying you. Until then, you will do as I say, or you will live in that chair for the rest of your days," his voice was stern, and showed how serious he actually was. "Line has come up with a whole new, line, of substances, I'm sure he'd love to have a permanent test subject," he said a bit coolly, flicking the toast a bit and touching it to her lips, watching and waiting. "What's wrong? I've fed you all week

[_java_]

Java's eyes widened a bit as he spoke, his voice cold and unwaivering as always. A week ago, the speech wouldn't have phased her; a week ago she had been strong, had known that she could handle anything. Now, however... Now, things were different. She'd seen her failings, had come to understand that her strength was just an illusion, and as Java listened to Mega speak-- manners are extremely important-- she knew that he was the one in charge, that she herself was too weak to stop him, that he was fully capable of giving her to Line if he so chose. She hated him, more than she had ever hated anyone, and yet she knew that he was a better human than she was; she knew her place. Java nodded, slightly, her gaze falling in submission though she still fairly well shook with anger, and began to eat from his hand, hating herself as she did so, but knowing better than to refuse him. I'm weak, I'm worthless... She could feel the eyes of Mega's guards upon her as she ate, and the shame was overwhelming; she'd been a Queen once, and now

[_into_the_fray_]

Mega held onto the plate as she finished the last of the toast, moving across the room to pick up a strawberry muffin and a glass of milk with a straw, moving across the room and holding the muffin out at her. "Eat," he added softly, waiting for her to take a bite. He decided to talk to her as she ate, less chance of protestation that way. "Now, I want you to do a job for me, Java. You're going to be my little informant for my organization. I need you to keep tabs on our former boss, Ram," he said his name with resignation, as if the very thought of him bored him to tears. "He could be quite useful in this organization, as long as he is not planning a resurgence of our old outfit, and as long as he is in a good mental state. We both know he was quite insane when he put himself in stasis," Mega let a small smile push up the corners of his mouth at this thought, the stasis Ram had been left in had been the stinky wet muddy City dump, stuck in his wheelchair. Finding out that he'd not only survived but escaped, learning to walk again,

[_java_]

Java's eyes darted up, once, as Mega began to speak again, but she quickly lowered her gaze back to the food he brought, barely tasting the muffin as he explained the situation to her. She swallowed, hard, at the mention of Ram, at Mega's statement that she was going to be spying on her husband, but her features did not betray her. No amount of brainwashing would strip Java of her ability to hide her feelings when Ram was involved, and she ate from the man's hand with unfaltering deference as he spoke to her. If Mega believed that Ram could be useful, Java thought, then perhaps there was still a future for her husband, in spite of all that her failings had done to undermine him; perhaps this was her chance to help Ram regain what she had cost him. Java nodded, almost imperceptibly, as she thought about the implications of Mega's words, the old fire in her beginning to spark back to life now that she saw the potential for an improved situation. If Mega did indeed have an organization, then it would be full of former Technos, she

[_into_the_fray_]

Mega didn't flinch or show any kind of approval or dissatisfaction, just unnerving, uncaring indifference. He finally pursed his lips and moved back to the corner, picking up a napkin and setting the half full glass of milk down, wiping his hands on the napkin and coming back to dab at the corners of her mouth. "I need to know what Ram is doing, where he's living, what his ultimate goals are. Is he planning to rebuild the Techno's? Does he have a personal vendetta against anyone, and what? I need you to get any, and all, information on what he's doing now, what he's planning, what he's working on. If I find out all of that, no matter what the answer, he may come in handy around here," he told her as he motioned behind him, the man with the briefcase stepping forward and opening it. The third man stepped forward and took a syringe and vial out of the case, filling the needle with a bluish liquid, just enough, and replaced the vial, the second man closing the briefcase and stepping back again

[_java_]

Java allowed Mega to pat the corners of her lips clean with a napkin, trying not to notice the way his guards sneered at her, and focused her attention instead on Mega's words. "What Ram is doing, where he's living... Any and all information..." He wanted her to lead him to Ram, she thought, her mind slipping back into a hazy confusion; there was no organization, and Mega only wanted Ram dead... The guards' eyes felt obscene as they stared at her, as they watched the little girl tied up, helpless, and Java's mind began to lose its grip on her thoughts as another aftershock of Line's therapy took hold. I have failed him; I am worthless; Loyalty is the only thing worth dying for. One of the guards gave her an injection, but after her week with Line, Java barely felt it. Mega was still speaking, and she forced herself to focus; Ram's life, and her own, depended upon it. "You have to return within 24 hours... or you will die." Surely he wouldn't really kill her; if she was actually to be a pawn in his game, and not just a chemical

[_into_the_fray_]

Mega stood there, one arm crossed over his chest, the other kind of in the air, and he snapped before lowering it to fold with the other one. One of the men rushed forward and knelt down in front of Java, insisting that he untie her ankles by simply pushing her hands away. Mega knew that she was weak, she'd been tied to a chair for a week, no one could suffer that and be ok. He had to make sure she could walk, that she was able to get away. "One more little detail," he offered, "You are going to leave here today, go find Ram and begin your mission. You will, of course, figure out where you are. You are to reveal to no one our location, not Ram, not Siva, nobody. Am I making myself clear?" He didn't wait for her reaction, he just turned and walked from the room. "These two men will escort you to the front door. Please feel free to feed yourself what is left of the food on the tray before you go," he glanced over his shoulder at her, out of the corner of his eye, her blurry form behind him, "I had it made up especially for you," and

[_java_]

Java waited until the guard had finished untying her before getting shakily to her feet, bracing herself with one hand on the back of the chair. It had been harder and harder to stand up for her five minutes each day, and she was disturbed to find that she could barely support herself now; her knuckles were white as her hand clenched around the back of the chair, and she devoted all of her strength to just keeping her knees from buckling beneath her. The guards were surprisingly patient, waiting until she was ready (and had made it clear that she would rather starve than eat anything else from the food tray) before taking one arm each, then walking her slowly out of the room she'd spent the last week in. The light in the hallway stung her eyes, and Java blinked, squinting as she looked around, recognizing the building as they entered the elevator. You kept me -here-? she thought, incredulous, even as she noticed with a certain degree of contempt that Mega had chosen to show off by basing himself in a building with a working