LJ Idol Exhibit A: Week 3 - Shenanigans
Liam waited in the interrogation room, surrounded by darkness. He thought this was a mistake, as persistent light was more psychologically damaging than persistent darkness. You could sleep in darkness, even when chained to a wall with your arms above your head.
At least, Liam could. Then again, he had always been able to sleep pretty much anywhere. His lover, Milo, was the light sleeper who needed things just right. As he waited in the darkness, Liam wondered where Milo was. When the Righteous Government had invaded Liam’s home, had Milo gotten out?
In a desperate attempt to save Milo, Liam had elbowed one of the arresting officers in the gut, never mind that Liam was undoubtedly guilty, having been caught naked in bed with Milo. He sighed to himself, doing his best to ignore the pain in his arms. It was unlikely Milo, unclothed himself, would have made it very far. Still, Liam had to hope.
He didn’t know how long it was before the door to the interrogation room creaked open. Light spilled into the small space, causing Liam to blink, then squint and turn away “I was just about to fall asleep, you asshole,” he muttered.
Liam figured it was one of the Agents of the Righteous Government come to harass him, and he wasn’t in the mood. Then again, who was ever in the mood to deal with an Agent? He noticed the looming figure who entered the room carried a glowing vidTablet, which gave the figure an eerie glow. When it came closer, he could see that it was a male Agent, wearing the special vision goggles that allowed it to see him in the darkness better than he could see it.
Despite his precarious position, he raised an eyebrow at the Agent. “Is it movie time? Come to give the deviant prisoner a little entertainment?” he drawled as he rolled his eyes.
Something about the Agent’s voice made Liam’s empty stomach twist. The Agent said, “Mr. Liam Hawthorne, I presume? I am Agent Stoddard. You’ll like this little show.”
Stoddard walked over to him, slowly, his boots thudding on the stone floor. The Agent held the vidTablet away from him, so he couldn’t yet see what was on it. Stoddard grabbed his chin. “Hey!” he cried.
“So you can’t look away,” the Agent grunted.
His grip on his chin hurt, and he tried to squirm away from it. He couldn’t. Still, Stoddard didn’t show him what was on the vidTablet. His heart thudded, and a sick, swooping feeling overtook his stomach. “Just show me the damn vidTablet,” he grumbled. The anticipation had to be worse than whatever was on the screen.
“Very well,” Stoddard said. He shoved the vidTablet in front of Liam’s face at a perfect angle to see what was on it -- Milo, strapped to an operating table in a bright white medical room.
“No,” Liam breathed. He tried to close his eyes against the image, but he couldn’t. The screen transfixed him, the horror clamping down on Liam like a vise around his chest. He could hardly breathe as he looked at Milo.
“Yes,” Stoddard said. Liam couldn’t see him from this angle, but he heard the smirk in the Agent’s voice. “I’m sure you’re wondering just what is going to happen to your dear Milo Barrett.”
Liam refused to respond, partly out of defiance and partly because he dreaded the answer just that much, the sick feeling in his stomach growing worse. They had caught Milo -- and they clearly knew what he meant to Liam. There would be no playing the fool here.
Stoddard’s grip on Liam’s chin tightened, sending a wave of pain through it. He winced, and he knew the Agent could see, and probably enjoy, his distress. He silently berated himself for showing so much weakness, though he wasn’t sure how strong he could be in the face of Milo’s capture.
“Oh? You don’t care? I doubt that, so I’ll tell you anyway. Mr. Barrett, like yourself, was caught in the middle of an act of gross deviance. Unlike yourself, however, he was only a minor member of any society of deviants,” Stoddard spit each word out, his voice reverberating with disgust.
Liam’s breath caught in his throat -- they knew about Unity.
“As you might have guessed, the Righteous Government is not exactly fond of Unity. That’s the name of the society where you’re second in command, is it not?” Stoddard said, giving Liam’s chin an extra squeeze.
“Yes, it is,” Liam growled. “I’m sorry you have a problem with it.” There was no point in lying. At least Liam could take pride Unity and claim it as his own, if he couldn’t hide his involvement. He knew Milo would want him to to support the organization, no matter what. The Righteous Government hated those who loved their own gender, and Unity hated the government -- in Unity’s opinion, any organization that hated love couldn’t possibly be righteous.
“I’m sure you’re aware that we have a problem with destabilizing sexual deviance,” the Agent muttered.
Liam spat in Stoddard's face. “'Deviance' is a problem only because you make it one for no good reason,” he hissed.
“There is a particular little issue with Unity. You see, we don’t know where their base of operations is,” Stoddard continued. “And we would very much like to know.”
The Agent adopted a chilling faux-friendly tone. “The Righteous Government understands the second in command won’t want to talk, so that’s why we captured Mr. Barrett. It’s simple -- tell us where Unity’s base of operations is, or we’ll kill him.”
Liam gasped; his eyes stung as the reality of Agent Stoddard’s words sank in. Milo -- they would kill the man Liam loved more than anything in the world. He watched his lover on the vidTablet; Milo’s green eyes were wide with fear, and his tangled brown hair hung in his eyes. Distress radiated from the man on the screen, causing pain to shoot through Liam’s chest.
“And you’ll let him go if I talk?” Liam asked, not that he quite trusted the government to keep its promises.
“We’ll let him go, yes,” Stoddard said. “We are, after all, reasonable people.”
Liam was just about to confess Unity’s true location, when something stopped him -- he realized Milo wouldn’t want him to betray the cause. If their positions were reversed, Liam wouldn’t want Milo to give up Unity’s base of operations just to save Liam’s life. His throat closed up as he watched his lover.
He understood exactly what refusal to reveal Unity’s base of operations would cost.
“I’ll never betray Unity,” Liam hissed. “Never on my life -- or anyone else’s.” His heart hurt, but he knew he was doing the right thing.
“Are you sure?” Stoddard asked, gripping Liam’s chin even harder. “You understand what this means, right?”
“I --I understand,” Liam choked out as the tears began to fall down his face.
Stoddard pressed a button on the side of his goggles. He murmured, “I just sent the signal to kill Mr. Barrett. I’ll turn on this vidTablet’s sound, so you can hear your dear lover’s final words. Don’t worry, he can’t hear or see you -- no way for him to know how you betrayed him,” Stoddard then did as he promised and turned on the sound.
Now Liam could hear Milo’s moans and whimpers. It was almost enough to make him reconsider -- almost. Though he wanted to turn away, he owed it to Milo to watch his final moments. He watched as the white-coated doctor lifted a shining silver blade, and he didn't turn away when the doctor pressed the blade into his neck, making a bright red bubble of blood. Milo screamed, and the sound pierced Liam's ears.
The doctor twisted the blade as he held it; more blood spilled. Surprisingly, Milo stopped screaming, and his voice crackled through the vidTablet, distorted by the technology but still clear enough. He said, “Liam -- if you can hear me, somehow, I -- I love you.”
“I -- I love you, too, Milo,” Liam whispered, barely able to get the words out.
He watched as the doctor dragged the blade across Milo's throat. Liam saw gushing blood, torrents of it that seemed to go on forever. All too soon, though, and the light went out of his lover’s eyes. He lay there, lifeless and covered in his own blood. It was too horrible; Liam couldn't shut his eyes against it, even now. Tears streamed down his cheeks; he felt like his heart might burst from the pain. Surely a human being couldn't survive pain like this?
Stoddard turned off the vidTablet and let go of Liam’s chin.
He knew he had done the right thing, but it hurt enough to make him wish for death himself. Liam bit his lip in order to suppress the scream that wanted to emerge from his throat. He wouldn’t give Agent Stoddard the satisfaction.
The Agent leaned in so his goggles were inches from Liam's face. “Your leader, one Mr. Franklin Parker, would be so proud of you -- if he hadn’t already turned in Unity himself.”
That made no sense. “What are you talking about? Frank -- he would never betray Unity!” Liam cried.
“The Frank you know would never commit such an act of betrayal. Mr. Parker, however, is not, actually, the man you know. He’s an Agent himself, tasked with creating a pro-deviant society in order to catch those particularly difficult deviants the Righteous Government couldn’t otherwise get,” Stoddard murmured, leaning in even closer; the goggles touched his face, now.
There was no way it could be true. “You’re -- you’re lying!” Liam said, his voice cracking. Horror started to creep up his spine.
“I’m not lying,” Stoddard muttered. “And you know I’m not.”
Liam knew.
Devastation ripped him apart as he let loose the scream he had been suppressing. A trick -- it was all a trick. He had let Milo be killed for a lie.
Stoddard stepped back. “We’ll let you go now, even though you were Unity’s second in command,” he said. “The Righteous Government doesn’t think you’ll cause any real harm. Besides, nothing could be worse than living with what you’ve done, yes?” The Agent unhooked Liam’s handcuffs, dropping him to the floor.
He lay there in a sad heap, unable to move as sobs shook his body. Agent Stoddard was right -- nothing could be worse. Liam would have to live with his decision for the rest of his life.
At least, Liam could. Then again, he had always been able to sleep pretty much anywhere. His lover, Milo, was the light sleeper who needed things just right. As he waited in the darkness, Liam wondered where Milo was. When the Righteous Government had invaded Liam’s home, had Milo gotten out?
In a desperate attempt to save Milo, Liam had elbowed one of the arresting officers in the gut, never mind that Liam was undoubtedly guilty, having been caught naked in bed with Milo. He sighed to himself, doing his best to ignore the pain in his arms. It was unlikely Milo, unclothed himself, would have made it very far. Still, Liam had to hope.
He didn’t know how long it was before the door to the interrogation room creaked open. Light spilled into the small space, causing Liam to blink, then squint and turn away “I was just about to fall asleep, you asshole,” he muttered.
Liam figured it was one of the Agents of the Righteous Government come to harass him, and he wasn’t in the mood. Then again, who was ever in the mood to deal with an Agent? He noticed the looming figure who entered the room carried a glowing vidTablet, which gave the figure an eerie glow. When it came closer, he could see that it was a male Agent, wearing the special vision goggles that allowed it to see him in the darkness better than he could see it.
Despite his precarious position, he raised an eyebrow at the Agent. “Is it movie time? Come to give the deviant prisoner a little entertainment?” he drawled as he rolled his eyes.
Something about the Agent’s voice made Liam’s empty stomach twist. The Agent said, “Mr. Liam Hawthorne, I presume? I am Agent Stoddard. You’ll like this little show.”
Stoddard walked over to him, slowly, his boots thudding on the stone floor. The Agent held the vidTablet away from him, so he couldn’t yet see what was on it. Stoddard grabbed his chin. “Hey!” he cried.
“So you can’t look away,” the Agent grunted.
His grip on his chin hurt, and he tried to squirm away from it. He couldn’t. Still, Stoddard didn’t show him what was on the vidTablet. His heart thudded, and a sick, swooping feeling overtook his stomach. “Just show me the damn vidTablet,” he grumbled. The anticipation had to be worse than whatever was on the screen.
“Very well,” Stoddard said. He shoved the vidTablet in front of Liam’s face at a perfect angle to see what was on it -- Milo, strapped to an operating table in a bright white medical room.
“No,” Liam breathed. He tried to close his eyes against the image, but he couldn’t. The screen transfixed him, the horror clamping down on Liam like a vise around his chest. He could hardly breathe as he looked at Milo.
“Yes,” Stoddard said. Liam couldn’t see him from this angle, but he heard the smirk in the Agent’s voice. “I’m sure you’re wondering just what is going to happen to your dear Milo Barrett.”
Liam refused to respond, partly out of defiance and partly because he dreaded the answer just that much, the sick feeling in his stomach growing worse. They had caught Milo -- and they clearly knew what he meant to Liam. There would be no playing the fool here.
Stoddard’s grip on Liam’s chin tightened, sending a wave of pain through it. He winced, and he knew the Agent could see, and probably enjoy, his distress. He silently berated himself for showing so much weakness, though he wasn’t sure how strong he could be in the face of Milo’s capture.
“Oh? You don’t care? I doubt that, so I’ll tell you anyway. Mr. Barrett, like yourself, was caught in the middle of an act of gross deviance. Unlike yourself, however, he was only a minor member of any society of deviants,” Stoddard spit each word out, his voice reverberating with disgust.
Liam’s breath caught in his throat -- they knew about Unity.
“As you might have guessed, the Righteous Government is not exactly fond of Unity. That’s the name of the society where you’re second in command, is it not?” Stoddard said, giving Liam’s chin an extra squeeze.
“Yes, it is,” Liam growled. “I’m sorry you have a problem with it.” There was no point in lying. At least Liam could take pride Unity and claim it as his own, if he couldn’t hide his involvement. He knew Milo would want him to to support the organization, no matter what. The Righteous Government hated those who loved their own gender, and Unity hated the government -- in Unity’s opinion, any organization that hated love couldn’t possibly be righteous.
“I’m sure you’re aware that we have a problem with destabilizing sexual deviance,” the Agent muttered.
Liam spat in Stoddard's face. “'Deviance' is a problem only because you make it one for no good reason,” he hissed.
“There is a particular little issue with Unity. You see, we don’t know where their base of operations is,” Stoddard continued. “And we would very much like to know.”
The Agent adopted a chilling faux-friendly tone. “The Righteous Government understands the second in command won’t want to talk, so that’s why we captured Mr. Barrett. It’s simple -- tell us where Unity’s base of operations is, or we’ll kill him.”
Liam gasped; his eyes stung as the reality of Agent Stoddard’s words sank in. Milo -- they would kill the man Liam loved more than anything in the world. He watched his lover on the vidTablet; Milo’s green eyes were wide with fear, and his tangled brown hair hung in his eyes. Distress radiated from the man on the screen, causing pain to shoot through Liam’s chest.
“And you’ll let him go if I talk?” Liam asked, not that he quite trusted the government to keep its promises.
“We’ll let him go, yes,” Stoddard said. “We are, after all, reasonable people.”
Liam was just about to confess Unity’s true location, when something stopped him -- he realized Milo wouldn’t want him to betray the cause. If their positions were reversed, Liam wouldn’t want Milo to give up Unity’s base of operations just to save Liam’s life. His throat closed up as he watched his lover.
He understood exactly what refusal to reveal Unity’s base of operations would cost.
“I’ll never betray Unity,” Liam hissed. “Never on my life -- or anyone else’s.” His heart hurt, but he knew he was doing the right thing.
“Are you sure?” Stoddard asked, gripping Liam’s chin even harder. “You understand what this means, right?”
“I --I understand,” Liam choked out as the tears began to fall down his face.
Stoddard pressed a button on the side of his goggles. He murmured, “I just sent the signal to kill Mr. Barrett. I’ll turn on this vidTablet’s sound, so you can hear your dear lover’s final words. Don’t worry, he can’t hear or see you -- no way for him to know how you betrayed him,” Stoddard then did as he promised and turned on the sound.
Now Liam could hear Milo’s moans and whimpers. It was almost enough to make him reconsider -- almost. Though he wanted to turn away, he owed it to Milo to watch his final moments. He watched as the white-coated doctor lifted a shining silver blade, and he didn't turn away when the doctor pressed the blade into his neck, making a bright red bubble of blood. Milo screamed, and the sound pierced Liam's ears.
The doctor twisted the blade as he held it; more blood spilled. Surprisingly, Milo stopped screaming, and his voice crackled through the vidTablet, distorted by the technology but still clear enough. He said, “Liam -- if you can hear me, somehow, I -- I love you.”
“I -- I love you, too, Milo,” Liam whispered, barely able to get the words out.
He watched as the doctor dragged the blade across Milo's throat. Liam saw gushing blood, torrents of it that seemed to go on forever. All too soon, though, and the light went out of his lover’s eyes. He lay there, lifeless and covered in his own blood. It was too horrible; Liam couldn't shut his eyes against it, even now. Tears streamed down his cheeks; he felt like his heart might burst from the pain. Surely a human being couldn't survive pain like this?
Stoddard turned off the vidTablet and let go of Liam’s chin.
He knew he had done the right thing, but it hurt enough to make him wish for death himself. Liam bit his lip in order to suppress the scream that wanted to emerge from his throat. He wouldn’t give Agent Stoddard the satisfaction.
The Agent leaned in so his goggles were inches from Liam's face. “Your leader, one Mr. Franklin Parker, would be so proud of you -- if he hadn’t already turned in Unity himself.”
That made no sense. “What are you talking about? Frank -- he would never betray Unity!” Liam cried.
“The Frank you know would never commit such an act of betrayal. Mr. Parker, however, is not, actually, the man you know. He’s an Agent himself, tasked with creating a pro-deviant society in order to catch those particularly difficult deviants the Righteous Government couldn’t otherwise get,” Stoddard murmured, leaning in even closer; the goggles touched his face, now.
There was no way it could be true. “You’re -- you’re lying!” Liam said, his voice cracking. Horror started to creep up his spine.
“I’m not lying,” Stoddard muttered. “And you know I’m not.”
Liam knew.
Devastation ripped him apart as he let loose the scream he had been suppressing. A trick -- it was all a trick. He had let Milo be killed for a lie.
Stoddard stepped back. “We’ll let you go now, even though you were Unity’s second in command,” he said. “The Righteous Government doesn’t think you’ll cause any real harm. Besides, nothing could be worse than living with what you’ve done, yes?” The Agent unhooked Liam’s handcuffs, dropping him to the floor.
He lay there in a sad heap, unable to move as sobs shook his body. Agent Stoddard was right -- nothing could be worse. Liam would have to live with his decision for the rest of his life.