Dark Angel (A 001 prequel story)

Bonus: 21.5 - Darkness

Trigger Warning ⚠️ violence, strong language

I let darkness swallow me whole as I marched back to my prison.
It took all my self control to turn my back to the hole in the fence and walk back to my hell.
I was drenched but I didn't care.
Because she was gone.

I succeeded in making her forget, in making her escape this lab.
It was a terrible sacrifice, but I made it. I focused on my sadness and anger and manipulated her mind.

When I carried her senseless body to the stranger who came to meet me, I hesitated. I didn't know if she would be safe, if that journalist could be trusted.
But it was better than letting Brenner use her.

I turned the torch back on only when I reached the familiar corridors. People were still fussing around for the blackout.
I reached my room and removed my wet clothes to put on dry on, feeling so depressed that I just wanted to drown in my sorrow.
Then I noticed her clothes on my bed.

I picked them and inhaled the smell of her, breathing deeply with the silly hope that I'd be soon reunited with her.
Just hours earlier I was so happy, so lost into desire, into the need of her.
And now she was gone. Having taken away my heart and my sanity with her.

I dropped myself on the bed, still holding her clothes against me, worshipping her perfume as I had wanted to worship everything of her, to feel her power pulsing under her delicate skin.
Eventually I fell asleep.

And I was abruply woken up by loud bangs on my door.
Instinctively I threw her clothes under my bed just before the door opened and three orderlies stepped in with their evil faces.
The same people I'm used to work with, side by side, day after day. Now they saw me as a prey for their wickedness.

I jumped from the bed, my head still hurting. Soteria weakened me more than usual.
I was helpless against them.
I was weak.

So easily they grabbed me, immobilised me, pushing me on my knees while one of them inspected the room.
"Where is she?" he asked harshly.
I tried to play dumb "What are you talking about?".
"Rose Penfield is missing" he grabbed his damned taser prod "The blackout wasn't an accident due to the thunderstorm, was it? The power engines were damaged".
"I don't know..." my words died in my throat when he kicked me in my stomach.
I saw lights and shadows dancing around my eyes as the pain shook my weak body and I gasped for breath.
"The cameras were off, but we know you've left the building. Your tracker signaled that you approached the fence. Did you try to escape again? Or did you just let her escape?".
I gasped for breath and glared at him. He knew I would rather die than answering.
He scoffed "Dr. Brenner is utterly pissed. He knows how to loose your tongue".
He bowed to inspect my bed and found her clothes.
"And what is this?" he picked them and sniffed them, shooting me a malicious glance "What have you done, pig? You mounted her as the animal you are?".
"You bloody..." I couldn't help but hiss at him and a prod kissed my neck, turning my words into screams of pain.
The electricity and Soteria were the worst match to torture me.
I started bleeding but nobody cared.
The two bastards holding me still didn't let me collapse on the floor when my legs gave up.
"Dr. Brenner will be pleased to know what you've done" he folded her clothes like a trophy "We will find her. You know that. There's no place in the world, not even on the Moon, where she can hide from us. Especially now, if you've done what we simply wanted you to do with her".
I did nothing. No matter how much poison they spilled into the food, water and even the air I was forced to breath, I was certain that I didn't waste her. Although I've been so close to fall into that temptation.

They dragged me out of my room to the familiar torture place.
Brenner was already there, listening to the reports on the events of the night.
"Henry" he said with that dangerous, sweet tone "What have you done this time?".
The evil orderly handed him her clothes "We found these, under his bed. I think he spent some time with her and then made her escape".
I watched with pure hatred as Brenner inspected her clothes, then he threw them into a basket.
"Is that true? Did you cause all of this just to spend the night with her? We would have gladly helped you to be with her, if you're not so stubborn in antagonising us".
I clenched my jaw to avoid answering.
"You put her into big danger. I welcomed Rose vowing to protect her. She became like a daughter to me. I thought you would have understood, you would have welcomed someone like you. She was a good match for you".
"We are not your cattle" I spat at him "You won't get any new lab rat from us".
He raised a perplexed brow
"Is that what you believe? That I treat special people like rat labs? I need to understand how you got your powers so I can help you become like gods. You used your powers to harm. When they can save our nation, they can change the world. You've learned nothing by working next to me?".
I struggled against the hands holding me "All I've learned is that you're a monster. You robbed of my powers!".
He stepped back and waved at the demons dressed in white "Tie him down".
I wriggled and shouted as those filthy hands dragged me to the chair and tied my limbs, until Brenner was safe to face me closely.
"I had to stop you from becoming a monster. Wasn't it what you planned to do with Rose? To steal her powers once she fell for you?".
"I..." I didn't even know how to call that "Cared for her! I would never harm her. I had to save her. From you".
He sighed, unmoved "Do you expect me to believe that? That you have a heart? That you could care for anyone? For her?".
"Surely I have a heart no more now" I assured him.
"You disappoint me, Henry. Again. You're getting the bad habit of attracting the punishment you deserve".
I was so tired. Just so damned tired of that routine.
"Why don't you just kill me? I'm no more use to you".
He shook his head "You're useless as a corpse. It will be very painful this time. But you'll survive it. As you've always done".
The white demons were impatient to start their filthy job.
"You'll never find her" I said quickly "Waste your time in torturing me, a helpless victim who can't defend himself. But you've lost her. Forever".
"She's not dead. So don't be so confident. I know you didn't kill her. You would have absorbed her powers and I would know it by now".
A new idea shook me. Although it was so disturbing to me that I wanted to retch.
I grinned. I did my best to make it look sincere.
"What if I did?" I teased softly "Better having her dead than letting her be your slave".
A hint of doubt clouded his face. Finally. He was quick at hiding it.
"And wasting all that power?" he scoffed "I don't believe it, Henry. You and I are the same, Henry. We don't waste a drop of power once we find it".
He stood up and waved at the bastards "Gag him".
I tried to fight them off, I tried to bite their wicked hands.
"Your time will come, Brenner!" I promised to the devil, before I couldn't speak anymore.
A new wave of pain shook me, blurring the whole world around me.
They didn't stop. I know they wouldn't stop until they would break me.
Everything became pain and I just wanted it to end. I almost wanted to die.
But I had a promise to keep. I needed to survive for it. For her.
Rose.

This time I had some good memories to linger on, while waves of pain crushed through my body and my mind.
I focused on our good memories, on her smile, on her face, on her perfume.
I will find her. It will take longer than I planned.
I will need weeks to recover from this punishment. I will need more weeks to gain Brenner's little trust again and be allowed to work with his precious children. Then I will have my revenge, I will take what's mine and I'll leave this sick place.
I will find her.
Her power will lead me back to her.
And then we will fix this broken world, together.
Wait for me, Rose. Just wait for me.

A/N

Sunday 28th August 2022

A little chapter from Henry's point of view after he is separated from Rose.

This is so crude so I kept it out of the official book.

But it's just a quick view at how hellish Henry's life is in that lab, just as we barely saw it in the show.

Next chapter will be more enjoyable, I promise 😉
So stay tuned for new updates 🙏❤