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"Are you familiar with the 'Machine' from the Princess Bride."
"I am; I had no idea you were." Countess Cleo cocked an eyebrow at the man looking at her. Looking into his eyes, she could practically see that strange combination of malice and joy that Gunnar Maelstrom managed to conjure so well.
"Well," he smiled. He looked like a shark. "This machine is that in practice." He flourished his hand back towards the laboratory. Their own 'machine' was much smaller than the movie version.
"In theory, it is the same."
Behind Gunnar, Saira Bellum was tinkering at the back of the thing, it was the size of an office printer. Saira raised her head; she pointed a screwdriver at Gunnar as she spoke.
"I need to remind you I have yet to test it."
Gunnar's smile only grew wider. "Ahh, but dear doctor, what better a test subject than a traitor?" They all looked towards a gurney a few feet away from the machine; it was fitted with straps and restraints, and within them was Shadowsan. His gaze was hard, his brow furrowed, silent only for the fact that he had been gagged.
A necessity, as soon after his arrival, he had goaded Coach Brunt into attacking him. Evidence of which he now wore just below his ribs. Cleo grimaced, remembering the sound of it. She had heard bones break; she was sure of it. Her suspicions had been confirmed when, after the hit, Shadowsan had crumbled to the ground with shaky breaths. That had been maybe 15 minutes ago. Gunnar had stopped Brunt, pacifying her with a vague explanation of what lay in the ninja's near future. They had then relocated to the laboratory in the dungeons of the castle.
"How much longer?" Brunt's question was laced with barely suppressed rage. She had taken Shadowsan's betrayal the worst. Saira grumbled, poking her head up once more, despite the situation. Cleo couldn't help but find the almost meerkat gesture cute. "It will be finished when it is finished." She never liked being rushed with her projects. "That is, of course, if you still wish for him to survive." She looked at Gunnar, who in turn looked at the man on the gurney.
Shadowsan looked more and more like an animal caught in a trap. Maelstrom moved towards him, his brow furrowed, and Cleo was sure he would have growled. Like a cornered wolf, she thought, a wolf who would rather have had the trap break his neck than be subject to this. She wondered if that had been the reason he had provoked Brunt. Gunnar was at his side now, hands clasped behind his back. He loomed over the restrained man. "You are much more useful to us alive than dead, and while I'm sure you 'would rather die than tell your secrets'," He grabbed the ninja's face, and Shadowsan jerked back as best he could while restrained. Gunnar's voice was low and deadly as he now spoke, "I can promise you we will bring you as close to death as possible for as long as it takes until you decide you don't like your living hell." He released his head violently, and a clang resonated off of the metal surface.
"That should do it." Saira smiled as she closed the back panel. Moving to the front of the machine, she collected five cords, each with little pads at the end of them. She then turned to Shadowsan, who suddenly looked quite small on the metal table. His tattoos and scars, marks of victories and achievements, could do little for him now. Saira placed the pads on his bare chest. "They may be a little cold."
The rest of the faculty watched silently as Saira attached all 5 pads, testing their security, and then turned back to the machine. The anticipation in the room was palpable, like watching a car speed through an intersection and the moments before it brutally T-boned another vehicle. Shadowsan's pupils could have been pinpricks. Cleo had no sympathy for him; he had been arrogant in his youth and foolish now. She did wonder what was going through his head. Where he ungagged, would he beg? Would he try to provoke Brunt once more? Or would he be silent? She was inclined to believe the last option.
Saira was at the controls, fiddling with the screen. "I hope you don't mind if I start with the lowest setting? This is the first test after all." Brunt grumbled, but no one objected. "Then we shall begin."
Shadowsan's fist clenched.
Saira pulled the lever.
---
"Carm, we'll find him." Ivy's hand was a reassuring weight on her back, but it did nothing to quell the anxiety rising within her.
"They'll kill him, Ivy." Her voice sounded hollow the first time she had said it aloud.
Roughly three hours ago, she watched helplessly as the man she considered to be her father was taken. She had been busy fighting off Paper Star while Shadowsan had been ambushed by Lady Dokuso. But she had been there when the cleaners dragged his unconscious body aboard a helicopter. She was on the other side of the parking lot; she had sprinted, forcing herself forward even though the scuffle with Paper Star had left her injured. She was too late; by the time she had gotten within about 10 meters, they were already high in the night sky. Lady Dokuso and Paper Star had their own escape, but she didn't care. She had yelled and screamed, which had attracted the attention of Ivy and Zack. The three were now back at their hotel in Kraków; they had been in Poland to stop an art heist. It was supposed to have been simple.
"Have you got anything, Player?" Zack asked; they were all sitting on one of the beds, huddled together for comfort. Carmen felt powerless. "I'm still going through flight logs and cross checking. A small helicopter will be difficult to pinpoint," even though he was thousands of kilometers away. He could feel the mood shift in the room, "but it's not impossible, and I can feel I'm close! If only I had a few more hands," he quickly added.
Carmen stood up and said "Looks like it's time to call in the cavalry." She pulled her phone out and began to call a number. Zack and Ivy both had suspicions about who it was.
"Hey Jules? I need your help. It's urgent."
---
Shadowsan's breath was shaky as it came out around the fabric gagging him. He had made it through three settings so far; a pattern was emerging. It took a minute for the machine to warm up again, and then he would be zapped for 15 or maybe 20 minutes. It was becoming increasingly difficult to tell. He had only just kept himself composed for the last bout of energy, and he was fearful of how many more were to come.
"Wonderful," Bellum had been taking notes as the machine charged up, "while Shadowsan's high pain tolerance provides a tricky barrier, these results distinctly show the different surges of energy. This is very promising." He could hear her conferencing with Maelstrom; both of them treated him as though he were a lab rat, an experiment. He had felt like a lab rat, strapped to the cold, hard table with wires and cords attached to him. But now the room felt too hot as his body reacted to the pain, and his head felt fuzzier and fuzzier, with energy being sent to other parts of his body as it attempted to regulate the pain. He was aware of Brunt's eyes on him, burning daggers. He could only stare at the ceiling, trying to conserve energy. Cleo was here as well, but she was disinterested.
"And now level 4."
"Can we speed this up?" Brunt interjected, her agitation growing too much to be kept quiet. "We will be here for hours going on like this, 'scientific process' be damned!" There was silence.
Please don't listen to her, Shadowsan suddenly thought. At the slower pace he could possibly formulate a plan, he didn't think his brain could handle strategy and any higher levels of pain.
"Very well then," Shadowsan's heart sank to the metal table he was tied to. "I suppose we can jump to the middle setting." Bellum said he could hear her tapping and re-calibrating; it all sounded far away. He tried hard to formulate any sort of plan now before it was too late.
"Setting to level 25, you may feel a little pinch."
Level 25 was halfway?! This frantic thought was quickly interrupted by Bellum pulling the lever.
Shadowsan screamed, audible through the gag. His muscles contracted and spasmed painfully, like his whole body was cramping. He had once had a seizure many years ago; he had blacked out during it, but he imagined it would have felt something like this. He felt as though he were on fire and plunged into ice water at the same time. He writhed and bucked, trying desperately to free himself. Most of the movement was involuntary, something primal that did not care about playing tricky mind games or keeping composure. Just wanting the pain to stop. His voice broke and cracked as he screamed. It was a horrible, desperate sound. He had never made a sound like this before, and he prayed he never would again.
---
"Alright, I am sending the coordinates." Julia sounded tired. Devinaeux and her were currently stationed in Berlin, tracing a different VILE lead. It was midnight there.
"And are you sure they are correct?" Carmen was pacing in the small room; Zack and Ivy watched her. Zack's leg had not stopped bouncing, and Ivy was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I am quite sure," she yawned, "you are yet to tell me what this is about."
Carmen stopped pacing; it was only fair, she supposed. She came into full view of the screen; in the corner, she could see Player furiously typing away. In the center, she could see Julia, illuminated by a lamp. Darkness seemed to press in through the windows. She took a breath, "Shadowsan has been captured by VILE." She heard a murmur in the background on Julia's end, and the woman turned to look. "What? Yes. Ask her yourself." She was talking to someone, Chase, presumably, as he soon appeared behind her. Judging from the old t-shirt and far from slicked-back hair, he had been sleeping. "You said Shadowsan was caputured?" Alarm was clear on his face, Carmen was a little confused by his concern, but due to the severity of their main priority, let the moment slide.
"Yes, by VILE." She answered. "Well, where is he?" Chase had, as he always did, gone from 0 to 100 real quick, bleariness being quickly replaced with alertness.
"Scotland." Player chimed,
"Eh, who is that?" Chase asked, peering at the screen. "Here, we can all see each other now." Player responded, joining the call.
"Is that a child-?" Chase asked. "Shh!" Julia quickly shushed him. "Shadowsan is being held in a castle near Kirkwall, a town on the island of Orkney. I have already scheduled your flights, with a stop off. To collect the two agents." Carmen had been following closely, silently, but this made her pause. "Player, we can't involve them; it's far too dangerous." Player began to say something, but Jules beat him to it. "All the more reason for us to come with you; you are not walking into this alone, Carmen." Chase nodded furiously behind her. She felt a hand on her shoulder as Zack and Ivy came to her sides. "We're all in this together."
"Alright."
---
Shadowsan whined; he struggled to get air to his lungs, and his chest heaved. His control over his body was gone as he spasmed and twitched; even without the machine being on, he had given up on refocusing his mind as well. Too much pain, too weak. He had no idea what setting they were at now; but he just wanted it to end, to go to sleep. He couldn't; he would come close to passing out, only for them to cease the machine, bringing him back from the edge. The gag had been removed, as Bellum had been worried he'd choke on it.
In his haze, he became aware of a presence looming over him. He didn't want to open his eyes. "How about now, hmm?" Maelstrom ran a hand through Shadowsan's hair, a twisted imitation of a soothing gesture. "Ready to tell us your secrets now?" His voice was soft, but even with his eyes closed, Shadowsan knew he was smiling ear to ear at the horror and suffering he was able to inflict. Shadowsan opened his eyes, he had to focus to get his message across. "Do..not....f-fucking touch me." His voice came out shaky and broken, but Maelstrom pulled his hand away.
"Ha! Stubborn as ever." Brunt barked from somewhere out of view; he didn't want to look at her anyway. Maelstrom nodded to Bellum. "Proceed."
"Before you do, I think I will take my exit." Cleo said, "Take as much revenge as you want, but, personally, I am losing interest." He heard her leave. She never did care for watching the bloody bits. He smiled as he realized he wasn't even bleeding, a delirious little half smile. He may have even chuckled.
The switch was flipped for the last time.
By now, his screams were mostly broken, and his throat, much like the rest of his body, was spent. His face was wet, he thought from tears and sweat, but in his fit of agony, he could taste something metallic. Fuck, now he really was bleeding. He continued to buck and kick, trying desperately to knock something loose, to tip the table.
---
The screaming became groaning, and his movements grew less violent. Bellum's hand hovered the switch, they were in a danger zone now, she had no idea what level his body would be able to stand. Her eyes flicked to the monitor displaying his vital signs, hmm, she turned back to Shadowsan just as in a last desperate attempt he managed to loosen one of the pads. She turned the machine off. Shadowsan went limp immediately, he made a low whimpering sound. Bellum approached him, lifting the disconnected pad, she would need a new one. Her eyes flicked to him for a moment, what he had been reduced to, a feeling of pride surged within her. She had once cared for Shadowsan, especially as he was often sent to clean her lab as punishment in his early years at the academy. But he had betrayed them, and now he was paying the price.
She looked back to her two companions, "I must fetch a replacement," She held up the pad as she walked past them, "do not touch the machine." It was probably a terrible idea to leave the three of them alone, but she needed a replacement and god knows those two would be useless at finding what she needed.
She left the main laboratory, quickly walking down the corridor and turned into a smaller room designated her supply room. She pulled down a box labeled 'Adhesives', she had only just begun rifling through it when she heard the door close behind her. "Cleo?" She asked, turning.
"Don't even think about moving."
Far from Cleo, closer to two irritatingly familiar Boston red heads.
---
"I'm surprised he aint dead yet." Brunt and Maelstrom stood opposite over the gurney.
"He has always shown such a proclivity for survival." The man below them made periodical sounds, nonsensical murmuring, occasionally his head would twitch. His nose was bleeding, the blood had pooled at the dips of his collar bones, dripping further to the table below him. A slow process, if Maelstrom concentrated he could hear it drip. It fascinated him, this was by all accounts a success even if Shadowsan didn't end up telling them anything. The machine was a success and the thorn in his side that wasn't Carmen Sandiego would be pulled. He wondered where she was, how distressed she would be.
Brunt looked agitated, "She's taking her sweet time, I mean how long does it take someone to find...huh." Maelstrom quirked his eyebrow as he looked at her, but she was looking past him. He turned confused, he had maybe a second to react before a fist crunched painfully against his cheek. He fell back catching himself on the gurney before slinking to the ground, pressing the back of his hand against his face. Looking up in search of what ever idiot had decided to test their luck. The first thing that came into focus was a stun gun and a sharply dressed woman holding it. "Who-?"
The gas came out with a hiss and he fell the rest of the way to the ground, spotting a red coat just before his eyes closed.
---
"Way to go Jules." Carmen had been so caught off guard by Julia decking Gunnar fucking Maelstrom that she didn't realize Brunt was coming at her.
"Absolutely not!" Chase jumped in front of her and shot his own stun gun, he held down the trigger, releasing a cloud of the knockout gas. Brunt slowed and coughed. "How the hell," she gasped. "Did you find us." she growled and sank to the ground, putting up a hell of a fight against the drug. "Don't take my fucking dad." Carmen said, emotion resonating from the statement. Brunt joined Maelstrom on the floor.
"Jules, watch them. Devinaeux, help me." She rushed to Shadowsan, hopping over the two downed faculty members. She tore away the pads and wires. "Shadowsan?" She asked. Chase began to unbuckle the restraints. "Shadowsan?!" She rocked his shoulder. "We're here; you're going to be okay!" She felt tears begin to well in her eyes. He wouldn't respond; his eyes fluttered, and he groaned. "Shadowsan please." His breathing was shallow and fast, he was shaking. Carmen pressed her finger to her ear piece, "Player, time for back up; call ACME, get an ambulance!" "On it, Red."
She looked at Chase, who looked helplessly down at Shadowsan, who stirred, shaking his head as though he was having a nightmare. Carmen took his hand. "Can you hear me?" She asked, squeezing his hand. He opened his mouth, "Just...kill me... please." He sounded delirious but the words cut Carmen to her core. "We have to get him out of here."
---
Carmen for the second time in as many days, watched Shadowsan be carted into a helicopter; there wasn't enough space, so she would have to make her own way there. She was standing in the courtyard of the new VILE hideout, and the last if she had anything to say on the matter. They had secured Maelstrom, Brunt, and Bellum by the time ACME arrived; it hadn't taken long to get Cleo either. Carmen watched the helicopter fly off. Chief had wanted to talk to her but she could wait. As usual, anticipating her thoughts, a car pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down. Zack and Ivy. "Get in." She smiled at them and opened the backdoor, surprised when she found Jules and Chase there already. "I hope you don't mind." Jules said.
"Not at all," then to Zack, "let's go."
---
"I'm sorry, miss, but I can only let immediate family in, and you have no proof of relation." Carmen looked at the woman helplessly, "Alright, thank you." She turned back to face the waiting room. Zack and Ivy sat in silence, a worrying sign. Jules sat across from them; she had taken her glasses off to clean them three times in the past two minutes. Devineaux paced the strip between the two rows of chairs, staring furiously at the ground.
It had taken them half an hour to get to Balfour Hospital, and they had been there for an hour. The woman at the desk had told them he was stable and that the doctors would give them more information. Carmen needed to see him, she was suddenly struck with an idea. Moving away from the reception desk and her team, she pulled out her phone.
"Hey Red, any update on Shadowsan?" "He's still stable, but I need you to do something for me Player." "What is it?" She lowered her voice as she spoke. "Only immediate family are allowed in..." She hoped he would catch on. "Oh, well that makes sense, but what... Oh!" Carmen smiled as she could hear the gears turn in his head. "So how good are you at forgery?" She looked back at Team Red, minus one, plus two. She looked at Chase. "Player, can I make that two tickets of entry?" “Sure, how come?” He responded. She turned away from Chase. "I have a weird hunch."
---
"...met at the gala......sneaking off..........that's what he was doing..."
Words fluttered in and out of Shadowsan's head, as consciousness seeped into him.
"...something like that.....don't know if I can say."
Two voices spoke above him, he tried to piece together his surroundings. He felt calm, something soft below him, something in his arm, soft beeping. He drew the conclusion of hospital. Why was he in the hospital? His head felt foggy. He flexed his fingers, trying to regain movement, but they met resistance.
"Shadowsan?"
He slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the light. He was met with the fuzzy outline of Carmen. She had been holding his hand.
"What happened?" His voice was weak, and he coughed. he began to sit up before a hand came to his shoulder. Not Carmen's hand; through the coughing and the blinking, he managed to make out the vague shape of Devineaux. "What-?" he tried to speak through the coughing, unsuccessfully. "Here, let me help you." Devineaux helped him sit up as Carmen handed him a cup of water. "Thank you." He said hoarsely. "You won't be feeling it now because you are on the good stuff, but you are going to feel like absolute hell soon." Devineaux explained.
"Wonderful." He said dryly once he had finished the water. He thought for a moment, "Why will I 'feel like absolute hell'?". Chase looked at him awkwardly. "You don't remember?" Carmen asked. Shadowsan shook his head, his voice still feeling raw. "That's probably for the best for now, the doctors didn't mention amnesia, so it'll probably come back. and I don't know how much longer I can go without this." As she said the last bit, she leaned over and hugged him. It took Shadowsan a moment to process what was happening, and his arms slowly moved up to return the hug. He didn't like the slowness.
After a moment, Carmen pulled back, wiped away a tear, and seemed to relax as she sat back down. Shadowsan's eyes flicked to Chase, who sat straight in his seat watching him, waiting for his turn, he supposed. "I suppose you would like a hug as well." He froze as he said it- damn morphine. But Chase had seen the green light and put pedal to metal. He put a hand on the side of Shadowsan's face and, with a surprising amount of care, kissed him on the forehead.
Shadowsan was admittedly caught up in the moment before remembering the third party in the room. "Chase, present company!" Carmen had taken a great interest in the ceiling but waved her hand at him. "Chase already told me about you two, besides, who am I to interrupt a honeymoon?" Her eyes widened as she realized what she had said. Chase pulled back from him as well. Shadowsan looked between the two of them and sat a little straighter. "...Honeymoon?" Both of them looked away sheepishly. "Only immediate family were allowed in..." Carmen began to explain, not looking at him. "So I had Player forge a marriage certificate."
"What?" Much like his body, his mind was struggling to play catch up. "Wait, how did you get in then?" Carmen looked at him now. "I- uh also had Player forge some adoption papers..." She smiled nervously.
Shadowsan looked from his illegally adopted daughter to his illegally married husband. He laughed; it was low and weak, but a laugh none the less. "You two are insane, but please tell me this is the last of any sort of reveal." "Yeah, it's only us; would have been suspicious if five different people of very different nationalities all suddenly had documents proving a relation to you." Carmen smiled as she said this. "Five?" Shadowsan questioned, "Agent Argent, Zack, and Ivy are in the waiting room." Chase chimed in.
Shadowsan sighed as he relaxed into the uncomfortable hospital pillow.
In the coming days, when he remembers what happened to him, Shadowsan will suffer through the newest addition to his alarmingly large collection of traumatizing memories. But now he is safe in a hospital in the middle of God knows where in Scotland, with two people he cares for and who care for him.