Save Us!

Chapter Five (Bain)

[BAIN]

September 10th – November 1st

"You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind."

Mohandas Gandhi

“Are you or are you not a member of the Rebellion?”

I steeled myself and turned to stare at him. “What rebellion?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t play with me, little boy. Be grateful you’re just getting hit with difficult questions.”

I turned away again, silent. My heart was beating wildly, but I made sure nothing in my face or stance suggested it was doing any such thing.

The man sighed and massaged his head, as if questioning an insolent prisoner was physically taxing. “Look. If you don’t shell out some answers, Richter’ll have your ass. And that’s when your real trouble will begin. You think things are bad now?” He shook his head. “Richter is brutal. He won’t stop till he has the answers that he wants.”

I was a statue.

“You’re just a kid. What are you doing? ‘Fess up, and you’re out.”

My body was stone.

“Just answer the questions. That’s it. Are you or are you not a part of the Rebellion?”

Statues had no fear.

“What rebellion?”

Richter stood before me, a mass of hate and pride. “You act as if you have no conception of the Rebellion,” he said, slowly walking around me.

My eyes faced forward.

“Yet we saw you running away from a sabotaged piece of government property.” He paused for emphasis. “Even if you aren’t a part of the Rebellion, you defiled the lift grid, which is a serious misdemeanor.” He paused again, cocking his head. “Now, if you were a part of the Rebellion, it would be in your favor.” He finished his circle around me and once again stood in front of me, hands folded across his chest, feet apart. His steely eyes met mine. “If you had knowledge, you would be… relieved… from certain unpleasant chastisements.”

For a split second, my statue melted away and I felt true fear.

For a split second, I thought about giving my friends away.

For a split second, I almost became a traitor.

Then I was myself again. “I don’t know anything about any rebellion, sir.”

“I hope you’ve changed your mind. I thought maybe a few days to think might prove… beneficial,” Richter said, assuming his usual stance before me.

“No, sir. I can’t change my mind about whether or not I know something.”

His eyes flashed dangerously, and suddenly, he struck out at me. I cried out as his fist hit my cheekbone, unable to block it because of the handcuffs.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

I clenched my teeth and slowly sat up straight again. “Yes, sir.”

He narrowed his eyes, and lashed out just as quickly as last time, hitting the same spot. I managed to keep quiet this time.

He grabbed the collar of the grey shirt they’d given me and yanked me up so I was standing in front of him. He leaned down so our faces were separated by mere inches, so close I could see the grey hairs in his eyebrows. “You have one more try,” he said quietly, pronouncing each word with perfect diction. “Are you a part of the Rebellion?”