(Untitled)

[_java_]

As the hours passed, Java began to lose her sense of time. Minutes dragged by in the darkness, hours, days, years, and it was all the same to her; it seemed a lifetime and yet only moments since her visitor had left her, and Java's mind was beginning to betray her. As much as she had disliked dealing with her guest, it had at least served to

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[_into_the_fray_]

The door creaked open, and the light switch clicked on. A sickly yellow glow emanated from a single bulb attached to the ceiling, covered only by a simple iron grate. The smell of mold and dank that lived in the walls of the small room filled the nose of the man who entered, and served to prepare him for his work. He didn't mind his job, it was what he had been hired to do, and he was good at it. In fact, it was one of the only things he was really good at, and he took no small amount of pride in performing his art. Pushing a small metal cart into the area before closing the door behind him, he watched the woman who was bound to the bolted down chair, her hands tied securely behind her back. She looked strong, her posture willful, even as she was tied and blindfolded, and he allowed a small smile to form on his face at the thought of finally being given a challenge

[_java_]

Java's eyes squinted for a moment as the man removed the blindfold, her gaze darting left, then right, taking in the tiny room with the quick, pointed glances of a caged animal. They'd put her in a closet, she realized, her nose wrinkling slightly-- and there was no sign of a surveillance camera. It was insulting, but perhaps useful; if this was the best they could manage, then her kidnappers were likely small-time thugs with specific demands, who had somehow gotten ahold of the bracelet she now wore. After all, anyone who had had any idea of what they were dealing with would certainly have known to keep an eye on her, she told herself; she was strong, she was not to be toyed with. While the cart that had been wheeled in was somewhat intimidating, Java had no doubts that the situation should be more than manageable; she'd been through far worse than a handful of kids with some rope. She just had to stay strong, and things would come together; she had already dealt with one guest, and dealing with another should be a simple enough

[_into_the_fray_]

As she spoke, Line watched her intently, taking in her every word, movement, tone of voice, and overall demeanor; his face retaining its neutral expression while his mind calculated and processed the new input with lightening speed. When the woman finished speaking, Line looked at his half eaten plum for a second as if considering. After glancing once more at her face, he once again turned his attention to the plum and took another medium sized bite, his posture as perfect as her own. Silence hung in the air as he continued eating the piece of fruit, his gaze not returning to her until he'd eaten the last bit and discarded the pit onto the floor. Looking down at his jeans he lazily wiped the remainder of the juice onto his pant leg before finally returning his attention to her

[_java_]

The force of the unexpected hit snapped Java's head back and to the side, her face throbbing with a hot, dull pain where he'd struck her. The pain wasn't nearly as intense as what the first man had done to her with the bracelet, but Line's utter spontaneity and his strangely impersonal words made the blow somehow terrifying. The smirk was gone from her lips in an instant, and Java looked up with angry, frightened eyes as the man moved over to the cart. It was just a mind game, she told herself, forcing her expression back to one of controlled calm and ignoring the pain; intimidation took many forms, and she needed to keep up a strong facade if she wanted to maintain her control of the situation. She focused her attention on the boy's disrespect, and on what she would do to him the moment she was free; no one spoke to Java in such a manner, and -certainly- no one dared strike her. She wasn't afraid at all, she told herself, straightening her posture again; she was only angry. So Line knew how to successfully backhand a woman. So

[_java_]

Ignoring the tingling on her wrists and the light stinging on her legs, Java glared at Line, amazed that -he- should dare lecture -her- on the nuances of civilization. What would a Virt who specialized in torture know of manners? Of decency? Java's nose wrinkled slightly as he ate; his behavior was appalling, and she -would- see him punished for it. Her eyes flashed with anger as she imagined what would have happened to Line had he dared speak in such a manner when she had kept court with Ram; there had been a time when people had -known- the proper way to address Java, and a man like Line would have learned his place very, very quickly. As it was, justice would still be done-- it would just take time

[_java_]

However, the pain was becoming progressively more intense; while it had yet to come close to what she had suffered with the bracelet, Java was in a good deal of pain, and her wrists were beginning to itch. Badly. She watched as Line finished his peach, the pain in her legs reaching new levels by the moment as she instinctively tried to rub her wrists against their ropes to relieve the itching. The ropes did little but add more pain to the itching, and Java focused her attention on the way the dingy light bulb reflected in her torturer's glasses, trying to keep her mind off of her body's condition. Her legs were beginning to feel exactly as unimaginably painful as Line had assured her they would, and Java somehow found his honesty discomforting; the man was, in short, a monster, and Java had always expected monsters to lie. And if he could be so calm and straightforward about these things, if he could be so utterly emotionless when hurting her like this... Java struggled to remind herself that she was still in control, that he

[_into_the_fray_]

Line watched Java with interest as the formula began to work; calmly eating the peach as he ticked away the seconds in his head. Her silence was an interesting change of pace. The usual biting comments and tough facade no longer making themselves readily apparent. She was afraid, unsure, and trying to hold herself together; a combination Line found encouraging. At the two minute mark, Line ran a mental scan of her body's reactions, deducing her exact physical state at the moment. While he knew what level the compound was now at, there were the added factors of her wrists, the after affects of the bracelet, hunger, and stimulants in her system to consider. It was usually the combination of elements that worked best with a woman such as Java, and he had no doubt that his methods were producing the desired affect. With an air of indifference, Line tossed the peach pit carelessly on the floor next to the half eaten plum; remaining silent as he watched her

[_java_]

Java opened her eyes in the pause before he spoke, her vision blurry with tears that spilled down her cheeks the moment her lashes parted, leaving long dark watermarks of mascara in their wake. Line's voice was so empty when he finally spoke to her, his words were so condescending and impersonal as he held the antidote in front of her, that Java gave in fully to her tears, her body shaking from the pain and her sobs. Even her torturer was empty and dead, she thought, in the moment before the pain suddenly spiked to an impossible level, and then her legs were burning all the way to the bone, and her head was spinning, and all she could think was that she had failed even to beg for mercy properly. There was nothing left, absolutely nothing, and she just wanted it to stop, wanted the pain and the thoughts and her heart to stop, and the light flickered, and nothing stopped. "Please," Java repeated, her eyes meeting Line's for just a moment, desperately, before being forced closed again in agony. "Please--" But the pain was too

[_into_the_fray_]

Line knew the very instant the compound had reached its peak. The three minute mark had hit, and as he counted off the last second, he leaned in closer to Java; his eyes searching her face once more for something specific. As she raised her eyes to meet his, Line was pleased with what he saw. It wasn't the effect of the raw physical pain he was causing the woman he was seeking out, but something much more valuable and longer lasting. Hopelessness, despair, shame, and a complete willingness to do whatever was asked of her, to end the pain reflected with crystal clarity in her eyes. Furthermore, he knew that Java was aware of this, even as she swallowed all that was left of her pride and once again said 'please'From this point on, Line doubted she would ever risk another subjection to his lessons in manners. Her dignity now stolen from her, there was little holding her back from readily embracing total compliance, and knowing what was in store for her should she overstep her boundaries would be extremely effective in further

[_into_the_fray_]

Boss walked down the hallway with precise steps, he was hiding from no one, he wasn't sneaking around or up on anyone, he knew where he was headed and what he was going to do. He was holding a small black leather bag in his right hand, carrying a tray of food in his left, and one of his guards walked beside him, quickly unlocking the door to the closet for him and opening the door. Boss set the tray of food down, turned the light on, and studied Java. Having just been given a full report on things, he knew what had happened to her, where she was emotionally, where he hoped she was mentally, but he would not speak to her, he would just clean her up and console her as best he could without speaking a word

[_java_]

At the sound of footsteps, Java's head jerked instinctively back up, Line's words echoing in her head. "Should you receive any visitors while I'm away..." Surely they didn't want to hurt her anymore for the time being, she thought; she was weak; what could they possibly hope to gain by wasting any more resources on her? Or perhaps they were finally sending in a negotiator, now that she was broken... That seemed a little more logical, Java thought, forcing herself to regulate her breathing a bit. And yet, what could anyone hope to get from -her-? She was worthless, an utter failure; Line's ministrations had had the desired effect upon her, and Java was now all too aware of how deeply she had failed those closest to her. Surely even her captors knew what she had done; what did they think she could do for them now

[_into_the_fray_]

Boss took the used wipes and gloves and tucked them into a plastic bag, then took a cloth for himself and wiped his hands carefully, making sure to get everything off that had touched him, not bothered by the sensations the cream he'd removed from her wrists were leaving behind, they were quickly wiped away with the cloth. He dried his hands on a hand towel from the leather bag and pulled the table with the food tray closer to Java, kneeling next to her. He put his arm gently around her shoulders, ignoring her questions, he would not speak to her, could not. He picked up one half of the fried egg sandwich he'd had prepared for her and touched the corner of it to her lips, giving her shoulder a squeeze with his other hand, urging her to eat. She had to keep her strength up, she needed to eat so she didn't get sick, and he caressed her shoulder a bit to let her know he meant not to harm her, he was just going to feed her, comfort her, keep her strength up for she would do him no good if she got sick or died, he had plans for her, and

[_java_]

He was avoiding her question, and Java's brows furrowed slightly; she disliked avoidance even in the best of times, and given her current situation, the man's dodginess was particularly discomforting. He must be involved in all of this, she knew, and if he felt confident enough to undo some of Line's work, then he must be someone fairly important. Java felt some of her self-hatred begin to dissipate as she considered the situation. There really was nothing quite like a good puzzle to help push aside emotion, she knew, and Java focused on her guest with a renewed vigor as she forced herself to ignore, at least for a moment, the truths that Line had revealed to her.

The man's arm was around her now, and Java allowed herself to lean into his embrace a bit, bound though she was to the chair. There's more than one way to kill a cat, she thought, pushing the pain aside as he pressed a sandwich to her lips; if her guest was willing to feed her and caress her, he might be willing to show her mercy in other ways as well. She turned her