Growing Pains

The Cell

Chapter 1

Through the darkness, he could feel his head throbbing, right behind his closed eyes. The pain didn't feel as though he was knocked unconscious, but he knew he had to have been incapacitated somehow. It took him a few moments, but ever so slowly, he opened his eyes, and immediately regretted it. The lights shining in the room were blindingly bright, causing him to squint as the dull ache began to worsen. However, he had already ripped off the figurative bandage, so he felt it was probably time he had a look around.

After his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he first looked down at himself. He was sitting in a cold metal chair, similar to the ones he had spent his time in interrogation rooms with. While not the most comfortable piece of furniture, it was familiar, as opposed to the anxieties most people may feel when in such a setting. Upon moving right arm, he felt it cuffed to the back of the chair, as was the other one. With further investigation, he found his feet in a similar state, the cool bite stinging his ankle. Then, he moved on to the rest of the room. The walls and floor were made of stone, surrounding him in a dull gray color. The walls were adorned with unlit rectangular light fixtures. The one light shining down on him came from a large spotlight on a stand next to the closed door across from him. Each corner of the room had small, almost unnoticeable speakers, the same color as the walls. As he swiveled his head around the room, he saw that nothing else decorated this room. After taking all this in, he concluded one thing. It was a cell.

Somebody had brought him here, taken him from his last heist. He had been... He had to think back, his mind foggy from his slumber and his head still pounding.... He had been digging up information on Allico, a large corporation, and their shady dealings with large governments and their ability to shut down those who oppose them, big or small. The orders were to find out as much as possible and report back, but that required infiltration, as most juicy records were kept in paper form. So, after a complicated series of illusions and distractions, he had finally made his way into the file room. While he was looking through the papers for the information he needed, a group of guards had cornered him. Before he could make a move (and he already had twenty planned out), a man had parted the crowd, holding a flowered umbrella.

"Look at the pretty!" he had exclaimed cheerfully, twirling the object so the design span quickly. Suddenly he stopped it and one word became clear. "Sleep." That man's voice was the last thing he heard before consciousness blurred away into darkness.

"Hypnotism." he mumbled to himself, making a mental note to learn techniques to avoid such an occurrence in the future. Not that that would help him now.

Suddenly, a thought dawned on him. Looking around the room, he reassessed the lights and speakers, their purpose becoming terrifyingly clear.

This cell was a hypnosis room. Meant to bend the occupant to the hypnotist's will.

He began shaking, the raw fear coursing through his veins. They could make him say anything. This wouldn't be a normal interrogation, this wouldn't be an interrogation at all. Whatever they wanted, whatever they needed, they could pick out of his mind. He would start talking and he wouldn't be able to stop. He would give up every secret he had, everything he knew about the Eye and Dylan and his job.

As the door opened, a silhouette appeared, a black spot in the ray of light. He clenched his fists, bracing himself for what was about to come next. He may not be able to withstand hypnosis, but he would sure as hell try his best.

"Oh! Look who's finally awake!" a man's voice cooed. It was the voice of the man who had put him to sleep, causing him to tense up in both anger and worry. This could not end well.

"Nope, still asleep." he replied dryly, refusing to let his fear show. He wouldn't give this guy the satisfaction of knowing how badly he was shaken.

The man chuckled, strolling further into the room. He reached to the top of the spotlight and flicked a switch and the light turned off. After a few seconds to adjust, he could make out the appearance of his captor.

The man was of fairly average height with frizzy brown hair and a soul patch that definitely deserved to be shaved off. His clothing was fairly nice, a collared shirt with a sports coat over it, dress pants, and well kept loafers. This time, he was without his umbrella. But, it's not like he needed it or anything.

"Awwww, how cute!" he drawled sarcastically. "But I don't need cute, Maxen. I need answers."

Shock shot through him as he stammered out answer. "H-How do you know my name?" he asked, clearly caught off guard.

"I know a lot of things. Not as much as you, of course, Mr. 143 IQ." he replied casually, closing the door and leaning against it. Maxen's eyes widened a miniscule amount, but he quickly regained his cool.

"Wait... You look like..." Maxen realized.

"Merritt McKinney, I know." the man's tone turned to one of annoyance. "Thank God I'm not." Maxen nodded, knowing he wasn't exactly in a position to demand information. This man didn't seem stable enough to take any reverse questioning.

"Anywho," he continued, "Let's talk about you. You are just primed to become a member of the Eye. Which means you have orders. Orders that involve breaking into my boss' establishment and sifting through all his personal goodies."

"Well, when you say it like that, it makes me sound pretty badass." Maxen replied, smirking to maintain his facade. He wasn't going to break for this clown of man.

"Oh, yes, very." he agreed, his tone full of sass, "But now, you're pretty screwed. Unless you tell me what you know."

"About what? The Eye? My orders? Their plans?"

"That'd be great, yeah." the man knelt down next to Maxen's chair, feigning a sympathetic look. "I mean, come on, what have they ever done for you?"

"Everything." Maxen answered, his tone dropping to one of anger. At the mere suggestion that he'd betray the Eye. That he'd betray Dylan. Never in a million fucking years. "So, if you believe that I will tell you a goddamn thing, you clearly don't know as much about me as you think." he growled, leaning in close to the man's face.

The man gave him a somewhat disappointed look before slapping Maxen hard across the face. Maxen stretched his neck, chuckling humorlessly as he fixed himself and settled back into his seat. "Good one, taking a swing at the one tied up." he snapped sarcastically. He got a smirk in return as the man stood.

"I don't need torture to make you talk. Or at least not physical torture. Instead, I'll leave you here, with my little invention." the man walked backwards towards the door opening it. "Have fuuuun." he cooed before exiting the room.

Maxen let out a few shaky breaths, trying to control his fear. He knew what was coming next. The man knew that he knew as well. The hypnosis cell would be tested on him. He was about to fight for his mind.

Sure enough, the lights lining the walls began to flash and the speakers began to whisper a comforting series of alliterating words, all in the voice of Maxen's mystery interrogator.

"I feel from your face that you're freaked by the flow of blood which is fully fixable in a snap..."

Maxen closed his eyes tightly, as if they could block out the sounds around him. He fought the words as best as he could, but eventually he felt himself drift...