Momentum (Completed)

Chapter Twenty One: To Kill A Mockingbird

(Lyra)

They didn’t take me back to my old cell. The room I was dragged in was also identical to my original; the only difference was the cage I was shoved into. It was the same size, the same shape, and made from the same material, but the difference was quite obvious. It had four short chains with metal bands on the end embedded into the back wall.

I internally moaned when I saw the manacles, knowing that it was no mere coincidence that I was being moved to a location where I'd be bound in chains. After escaping, killing two warriors, destroying that horrible machine, and sneaking through the lab like it was nothing, I had made Marissa and her guards look like incompetent idiots. I'd kept true to my word and she'd paid dearly for underestimating me. Now, however, it appeared she was taking no chances with me escaping again.

As I was pulled toward my new prison, I noticed another difference. There was also only one cage in this room, meaning Dolosus wouldn't be separated from me. One of the warriors shoved me into the cell and, much to my surprise, she followed me in. Dolosus landed on my shoulder as the second warrior shut all three of us in the cage. My expression was confused to say the least as I glared at the Uxor standing before me. Aiming her gun squarely at my chest, she snapped,

“Get back against the wall, Insurgo.” I'll admit, I did consider defying her, but... what was the point? I was locked in the cell regardless, and, even if I did mange to evade this one warrior, they'd just send in reinforcements. I couldn't see any real reason in struggling, so I backed up into range of the chains. I took a deep breath, swallowing my pride and biting my tongue as the woman secured the fetters on both my wrists and my ankles. Once the chains were on, I knew how helpless I was. The warrior was also aware for this, for she stood out of my reach and mocked me, obviously trying to get a response out of me so she could have the sanctification of watching me fight my bonds, but I ignored her.

The second warrior opened the cell to allow her friend to exit. I glared at the woman rather helplessly as she backed out of the cell, closing it, and was surprised to see that they both left Dolosus and I alone in the room rather than stand guard.

Once the door clicked shut, I flexed one of my wrists, dismayed at how heavy the chains were and how tightly the cuffs clamped around my limbs; I could already tell they were going to chafe painfully, maybe even enough to bleed… I tried to walk closer to the front of the cell, but the chains weren't having it; they grew taut after only one step, which greatly surprised me. My entire body was jarred from the sharp pull of the fetters.

After testing the bounaries I could move, I sighed wearily and slid to the floor of the cell, stretching my legs out as far as I could without having the chains pull. Dolosus landed in my lap, looking up at me. The look in his eyes was mournful; he didn't like that I had been restricted to one spot while he was still free to move around.

'Now what?' he asked me finally. There was an uncharacteristic heaviness in his tone that told me he was feeling us as hopeless as I was.

“Now what?” I repeated quietly. Taking a deep breathe, I looked out the bars. “I'm out of ideas, Dolosus...”

'And we're out of time,'he added. What he said was so grim and absolute that I was taken aback by it, especially since his tone was so... normal. It was as if he was asking me how my day was. I wasn't nearly as collected.

"I'm scared," I admitted, my voice having so little volume that it came out as a whimper. He looked at me kindly, but said nothing; we both knew what was coming. It had been stalled for several weeks, but we had finally pushed her too far and she was done playing with us... "I don't want to die, Dolosus, I..." My voice trailed off and I could feel a fear the likes of which I had never felt before literally begin to swallow me.