"Love is like a razor blade
Double edge and double pain" - 'The Nature of Love' by Ministry
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She was gone
As they dragged me away, she's all I could think about.
I had told her I would come back to her. These strange purple beings were making a liar out of me yet - I won't see her again, not by how roughly they were gripping my arms. I looked up, panicked. "Where are you taking me?" I only got hit.
When I came to, I was in a cell with Matt, but Dr. Holt was nowhere to be seen. I sat up, gasping for air. I glanced around, trying to get ahold of my bearings. Matt was already awake, curled into a ball, sitting in the corner farthest from the cell door. Everything was shades of pink and purple and black, and when I looked down, I was no longer in my bright orange space suit. Looking at Matt again, neither was he. Glancing around, there was no defined bars keeping us in, but there was a large, somewhat translucent pink wall. Watching it, I saw a flicker every once in awhile, so it was likely a projected electric hologram or force field.
When I started to stand up, my head spun. I would have to stay sitting then. I groaned and put my hand to my head. I vaguely remembered being hit at the time. Matt looked up, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. In a way, that's just what he was - a startled deer. When he spoke, he had barely whispered.
"Shiro..." He sounded almost relieved. He hesitantly crawled over to me. I pulled my hand away from my face and realized that it was wet, but not dark. Tears. I squeezed my eyes shut. [y/n]. I hoped Matt couldn't see me crying in these lights.
"Yeah, buddy?" He bumped up into my side, and now I could see that he didn't have his glasses.
"I'm scared. They came by while you were out and they said we would have to fight if we were able." I could feel him shaking. He never liked to admit it usually, but he often needed me to be his rock. If I was fine, he'd try to be the same.
But he could feel my pain no matter what kind of brave face I tried to put on. I put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him tight.
"I'll get us out of here, somehow." Matt had always looked like his sister, but he was nearly identical to her when he looked up at me then.
"Do you promise?" His eyebrows scrunched together. I opened my mouth, unsure of what I was going to say, but two people stopped outside of the cell. I could only assume they were our jailers.
"Small one. You've been summoned." The voice was metallic - an android or sentry of some sort?
"No." I shielded Matt with my own body, wincing at the moment. We couldn't be separated, or we might not find one another again.
"You were not asked. Move out of the way." The robot pointed something at me - a gun, probably. I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I turned, Matt just shook his head sadly and stood to comply.
"I'll come back, Shiro." He didn't sound very sure of himself. When they were gone, a creature in the cell opposite of me spoke up.
"The old one didn't come back." I looked up. I could barely see them through two pink force fields and on top of that, they were sitting in the shadows, but their eyes were entirely yellow. Their eyes stood out even through the transparent walls.
"Was he taller than Matt? Thinner than me but bigger than him?" I caught sight of a slight nod. Where was Dr. Holt then? I tried to calm myself. There was no use in getting myself riled up. Patience yields focus. She flashed in my mind, and I willed her away. I had to focus and see where I was.
