On the Edge of a Knife - Part 3

Posted on 27 Mar 2018 @ 10:28am by Commander Scarlet Blake

1,132 words; about a 6 minute read

[[Flashback: Set approximately 6 years previous to current timeline - a few months after Blake was captured: Unknown Location]]

ON:

Gripping her knees tightly, Scarlet stared blankly at the wall just a few feet across from her.

She was sick of the sight of it. If she could smash it down, she would.

Stripped down to her combat trousers and a vest, she was shivering with cold. But she had been for the past months, so she was getting used to it.

Months.

She didn't know how long she'd been a prisoner in this damned cell, but it was definitely months by now. She'd given up trying to keep track of the time. It was constantly dark in her cell, but she knew it had gone past weeks and into months. She'd worked out they were underground a few weeks ago, making the stone cell walls and floor damp and cold to lean and sleep on.

And she was still here. Still a prisoner. Still being interrogated. Still hearing others from her team going through the same, but never seeing them.

She wondered if she was crazy yet. She decided she probably was.

She felt it. Staring at the wall. Shivering. For months. The only break was when she was taken out for interrogation, which wasn't exactly a relief. And she'd given up on wondering if her various wounds were infected or not, or should be dressed; if she died, she just died. At least she wouldn't be in the bloody cell anymore.

Irrationally, she kicked with her foot against the wall she was staring at. Bloody cell. The same bloody wall. She kicked it again where she sat opposite it, the space small enough to reach it to kick without getting up.

"Food."

Scarlet didn't look up at the single word that was spoken. She just kicked the wall again.

"Eat," the guard said sharply, moving to put the tray next to her, watching her with expectation.

Scarlet tilted her head as she looked down to the tray of unappealing protein paste. She reached out before slowly and deliberately tipping the tray over.

The guard grabbed her wrist and backhanded her casually across the cheek, against a bruise already mending there.

Scarlet grimaced with pain, taking a slow, painful breath into her tight chest before spitting at him.

Anger flared in the guard's eyes and he gripped her throat to hit her again.

Scarlet's eyes hardened and narrowed as she hit him hard, catching the side of his nose. She wiped her hand casually on his shoulder to get the blood off.

He lurched forward, hand lifting to hit down on her.

"Enough," a masculine figure in the doorway watched them with a small smile of amusement, chuckling as he pushed his hands into his pockets. "Enough," he motioned the guard out of the room, watching him leave before moving to sit against the opposite wall to watch Scarlet. "Why do you keep doing it when you know how he'll react?"

"Perhaps it's the only source of amusement down here, Will," she replied with a level tone, resting her head back against the wall, letting out a tight breath.

Will arched an eyebrow with a small smile, nodding slowly as he watched her. "Nothing we throw at you seems to surprise you; I'll say that for you."

"I lived with the Maquis; I know how terrorists work," she replied shortly, looking away from her captor.

"Controversial," Will laughed softly all the same, shaking his head as he leant to her, touching her knee. "You know, all of this could stop," he said softly, rubbing her knee gently. "All you have to do is tell us everything you know. No more interrogations. We could even send you home."

"You've had us down here for months now," Scarlet said quietly, looking back to him with tired eyes. "And you still haven't got everything from us?" she made a tutting sound. "Not doing well, are you."

A flash of anger went across Will's face, but he soon covered it with a smile, leaning forward to her. He stroked her cheek, searching her eyes. "The others have already given it all up. They're just waiting on you now, so I can send you all home."

Scarlet held her breath, keeping his gaze for a long moment, just to take him in. "I don't think so," she whispered. "Otherwise, you wouldn't still be torturing them too. No, you need more. A lot more. From all of us. Or any of us. No. I think I'll wait it out, thank you."

Will's jaw tightened with irritation for a long moment before he stood, moving for the door to talk to the men outside of it. "Get her in to room 2. I want her on the table, ready for a nice, long session with me," he turned enough to see her at that, casting a smile her way. "Have it your way, Scarlet. No skin off my nose. It just means I get to enjoy your delightful company for even longer."

Scarlet pushed the hands away as the men got a hold of her, standing up herself instead. Her legs half buckled under her though, and they had to catch a hold of her whether she liked it or not.

She was shoved through into one of three rooms they had set up for them. She swallowed hard as she saw the metal table she'd gotten all too acquainted with over the last months.

Scarlet closed her eyes for a second, to try and steady herself, feeling her heart race faster with apprehension and fear.

A shaking breath escaped as they pushed her down onto the table, strapping her arms and legs tightly into place. She couldn't help her instinct to pull against them, to try and tug free, even if it only made them tighten and bite into her skin.

She was breathing hard as she tipped her head back against the table, her throat tight and the thump of her heart painful in her chest.

Scarlet tried to keep focus by keeping her gaze steady on a spot on the ceiling above her, but a few moments later, she saw Will move into her vision. He smiled, touching her bottom lip with a fingertip before covering her face with a hood, a rope pulling it tight across her face.

Scarlet knew what was coming in that moment, and yet she still tried to gasp when the cold water was poured over her face and mouth. The gasp only made the heavy, wet fabric of the hood suck into her mouth, and as the constant stream of cold water carried on falling on her mouth and face, the sensation of choking and drowning was all too real...

TBC:

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