Hatter's Revenge (rewriting - read at own risk)

Ch. 25: Strange Tactics

Later, the other guard had come back, sighing in irritation when he opened the door to find Mad staring at him.

He'd put Mad's blindfold back on, then left.

Mad didn't know why they bothered with the blindfold. He couldn't see in the dark room anyway. Not that seeing would help him much. The guards had him tied in such a way that he couldn't even try to unbind himself, so Mad would have to wait for a more opportune moment.

The need to get back to Alice and the others was like a constant itch at the back of his mind. One he tried to ignore as much as possible.

He wondered what exactly Killian had planned to get to Mavros. He'd refused to hear what Killian was going to do in the even that something like this happened.

Mad had been more than sure that he would have either died or walked away. Getting captured had been a small possibility, but it had been a possibility all the same.

Mad didn't want to know anything worth telling if worst came to worst.

Mad sat there in the dark, wondering what they would do to him. With a grim smile, he thought it couldn't be anything worse than what the Japanese had done to him years ago. Mad knew how to play this game. Pain was just pain. Nothing more, nothing less and it had been a companion more than Mad would have liked over the years, but it did give him the upper hand.

He could handle anything they wanted to throw at him.

He wasn't expecting the water though.

Mad tensed, growling when he heard the door creak open, then was surprised by the rough cloth that was wrapped around his face, forcing his head back.

Then he was drowning.

He couldn't breath. Cold water was sharp in his nose and throat.

The water stopped and he tried to inhale, then there was more water.

They didn't ask questions yet. They didn't speak at all.

Eventually, Mad lost consciousness, only to wake up alone again, sopping wet and shivering with a cold that was painful.

He was left alone for what seemed like long stretches of time, but it was difficult to tell. Time passed differently down here. Whenever anyone came, they were usually silent, just there to hurt him. Mad supposed they were just trying to break him down.

Still, whether it was something creative, like the water, or merely a simple beating, Mad was starting to get tired. He wished they would ask him something. If only so he could have the satisfaction of telling them nothing.

Mad wasn't sure how much time had passed. He thought it might be somewhere around a week but still, it felt like it had been forever.

Finally though, something changed.

Mad stiffened when the door opened.

He inhaled and exhaled as slowly as he could, trying to keep calm. It had taken longer than he'd thought.

The blindfold was tight, holding his eyes closed, but he could still tell who had entered the room by the smell.

Gunpowder. And blood.

It rolled off of Tamsus in waves.

Mad waited, not saying anything. He jumped in surprise when Tamsus grabbed his chin gently with cold fingers, tilting Mad's face to look at the bruises there. Mad hadn't heard him cross the stone floor. Tamsus sighed. "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to visit Maddy. I've been busy."