The Sleeping Prison

Chapter 14

Maybe he was at his worst or maybe he was just an unstable person, but he was dangerous. You could tell by the look in his eyes, he knew how to use his brain. He was fiercely loyal, but he didn't trust easily. He was all pent up, suppressed anger with no filter. What made it the worst was the fact that he was a leader. People would follow him when they didn't have anyone else to follow.
"I have a plan," he said simply.
"Your plans may have just been changed slightly," Vance cracked a cool smile. Vance suddenly felt like himself, the person he was when he had Marcus. "You might as well tell me them."
"Why should I trust you?" He scowled. "You might expos- turn me in."
"Expose what?" Julian made a weird face. He stood rigid and defensive. He's protecting someone. "You have friends in the camp, don't you?"
He slouched, but he didn't lose his alertness.
"Look, I am going to find out what your plan is either way. I can help you or you can rot in that cage and your friends will be caught. I told you about your brother because you deserved to know, but I feel no loyalty to you in any other way." That was a lie, but he had to scare the boy. Vance did feel a loyalty to protect his late friend's brother, but he didn't know that.
"I'm here on recon, snooping around, by myself," he said. Lie, he's trying to throw you off.
"Truth now," Vance remarked uninterested. He cleaned under his fingernails. "I have all day, do you?"
"I don't have to say anything," he whispered.
"Come on Julian. I swear on Marcus's memory I won't harm your friends." He begged although it didn't sound like begging.
"Fine... I was told to come into camp, cause a big commotion, then my friends would snag a couple of guards. No one would notice them missing in the commotion. Disgusted as guards, they were going to come here get the info we needed, break me out and leave. That's was the plan, but they probably backed out. They saw me with you and bolted."
"What information do you need?" Vance said coolly. "I may hate these people, but most of them are young and innocent. I'm not going to give you a information that will get them killed."
"I need to know where they took my best friend," Julian muttered.
"Hmm. I'll help, on one condition, I get to join your stupid rebellion. Don't worry I'm not gonna spy, keep me away from important information. I'll be a spy from here till you trust me. I know some dark secrets," Vance said. He knew his face was calm and cool, masked, but panic still rooted itself down in his heart. Vance had spent years making this mask, but sometimes he feels like it slips just a little bit.
"You must promise something, you will never betray my friends, you will only be talking to me," he said to Vance's relief. He didn't decline the offer, he knew he needed it, but he asked for his friends safety. That touched Vance's heart.
"Ok, so what do you want me to help you get, I don't know what you expect to find here," Vance said.
"I want to know who was on duty when she was removed from here. Where she went mostly," he shrugged. "Not much important."
Vance thought of who might have been on duty at that time and he shivered. The new set of monsters had been created just for that Surge. That was who was on duty, well before they lost their minds.
"You might not want to talk to those who were on duty at the time," Vance admitted putting hopefully enough warning in his voice.
"Why?" He snapped.
"Because when the super soldiers time ticks down the lose their minds," Vance answered. Julian's mouth made a perfect o.
"Was there anyone else here?" Julian's voice was a forced calm. Underlaying the calmness was a well masked hopelessness.
"I wasn't there, you were," Vance didn't know who could have been in the police station.
"That evil man, the guards, my friends... I don't remember much. I was a bit distracted," Julian admitted. 'That's evil man?'
"Think, just think," Vance ordered. Julian eyebrows came together.
"There was a doctor, he bandaged us up," Julian recounted. Was the devilish doctor there? "Did he have a scar though his eyebrow?"
"Yes, why?" Julian asked perplexed.
He unlocked the Julian's cell and restraints. "When I come back you need to spring out of the cell. The doctor probably won't put up much of a fight. Cuff him then briefly fight me, keep it quiet. Throw me in the cell, along with the two guards outside. Knock them out, try not to knock me out though, understand?" Vance said it so fast he was lucky his words did blur together.
"Wha-!" Julian protested. Vance ran to the medical tent.
"Doctor, sir, I would like you to see someone!" Vance yelled down. The man never looked like a doctor but Vance wasn't sure what to call him. Mr? Scientist? Doctor?
"Oh, really? What prize has been given to me now? Oh, young man call me Dr. Crow," There was a sick amusement in the doctor's voice.
He appeared and they walked in silence to the police station.
"Sir, we found a rebel, he's a fighter. Perfect for enhancement, sir," Vance forced the words from his lips. They walked into the cell room.
"Well... isn't he something," the doctor hissed. Julian, thank god, was acting the part. He was acting like he was struggling against the restraints. Baring his teeth. The doctor walked uncaringly up to the cell.
Julian exploded from the cell. He trapped the doctor between the cell door and the cell. Then Julian turned on Vance.
There was a warning in Julian's eyes. He fought like a wild demon. Landing punch after punch, Vance didn't know how but this boy was a better fighter than he was. Vance let a few blows pass, landed a couple of blows before Julian fake took him out. It's not like the blow didn't hurt, but it wasn't enough to knock him out. Vance fell to the ground.
His eyes were closed but he could here Julian quickly take the other two out. Julian swiftly dragged the three of them into the cell.
Vance couldn't see Julian, but he could hear the doctor cowering and begging as Julian our the cuffs on him.
Vance had to suppress a smile. That cruel and awful man finally trapped like his 'subjects.'
Vance waited about ten minutes before pretending to come to. When Vance opened his eyes the. The boy he had seen before was no longer there. His eyes were wild with anger and he was wound up like a wire. The thing that scared Vance the most though was how he was looking at the doctor tied to the chair.
Julian had just become a predictor who got just trapped his prey.
•••
Julian knew he carried out Vance's plan perfectly, that's why he felt such pride as he strapped the annoying doctor to the chair.
He wasn't blubbering anymore, just sitting there scowling.
"You were her last time I was here," Julian started. "Where did they take the girl with the red hair?"
He smiled. To Julian's surprise this man had been acting, he hadn't been afraid at all. He was just trying to Julian a false sense of security.
"Oh my boy," he stated cooly. Gray eyes like ice. "I could give you so much more sensitive information. It's funny to choose such insignificant pieces of information."
"I will ask once more nicely..." Julian hissed. "Where is the girl with the red hair?"
"Oh my boy..." he sighed. "I'm sure your not here just to find out where that worthless piece of trash is? I'm sure you're just doing this out of respect..."
Julian lost it. He punched the doctor hard. He leaned down on the chair and locked eye's with the doctor.
"Where is she?" He growled again.
"She doesn't even care about you. Your just her play thing, aren't you?"
Julian punched him again. He only laughed.
"You wonder why she doesn't runaway with you. You wonder why she didn't fight more when she was taken. Tell me you don't," he hissed a Julian in an insane way.
"Where is she?" Julian hissed once again.
"You really want to know?" He laughed again. Julian scowled even more. "Oh, you really do love her... fine I'll tell you but when she doesn't want you anymore..." he made a tsk noise. "She went to the capitol. They said something about a hospital."
Julian finally had a lead.
"Not like you'll even to see her reject you but have fun," that was the last thing he said before Julian landed punch after punch. Julian let his walls collapse for that small second he was raw anger. He channeled everything he never could express into punches.
His love for Leo, his anger at his own dad, never meeting his brother or mom, the pain of watching her leave.
"Julian!"
It was Hannah's voice. Luke was behind her.
"What are you doing?" She said much quieter but just as harshly. Julian looked back at her and for a split second didn't have any control.
His wild rage and loss of control was quickly suppressed and walls went up. Only shame, guilt, and fear of himself was left.